I Need You
by DisneyCastleFriends18
Summary: Rick and Kate have been married for 2 months when they attend the funeral of Captain Roy Montgomery.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello and welcome. This is my second, uploaded, multi-chapter Castle story. Thanks to the reviews from my first multi-chapter story, "Thank You Kate", I decided I would try writing another one. The feedback I had received from the last one was both overwhelming and exciting. You readers are my inspiration, so I thank you. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I will enjoy writing it for you.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

" **I Need You"**

Kate Beckett, a detective with the NYPD, is living a happy life after tragedy had struck her family when she was 19 years old. She had somehow met and fallen in love with her favorite author, famous mystery novelist Richard Castle. They have been happily married for 2 months. Their friends and family say that Rick and Kate are still in the 'honeymoon phase' of their relationship. They never want to leave each other's side. They can never seem to stop wanting to make physical contact with one another. They're relationship was something truly wonderful.

One night Castle had stayed home, while Beckett was out working, so he could finish writing the chapters he needed to send to his publisher. Castle had been writing most of the day and only stopped to get something to eat or to use the restroom. He was so focused on his writing that he didn't hear the front door open. He hadn't even noticed that someone was walking into his office.

Kate walks into Castle's office. She can only speak in a whisper. "Castle?" He is so focused on his writing he didn't hear her, so she tries again. This time a little louder. "Castle?" He still doesn't answer. So, she walks around his desk to stand right next to him and puts her hand on his shoulder. "Babe?"

Castle is startled when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up to see who it is. He gives a smile when he sees that it's his wife. "Hi, honey." When she doesn't answer he gets a concerned look on his face. He can see that she has tears in her eyes that have yet to fall. "Kate? Honey, what's wrong?" He turns in his chair so he's facing her. He reaches for her hand to pull her down to have her sit in his lap.

Kate slowly sits down on Castle's lap and puts an arm around his neck. "It's Roy." Finally a tear falls down her face.

Castle wraps an arm around Kate's waist while the free hand wipes away the tear that had fallen. "What about Roy?" Castle can clearly see that his wife is sad/upset. Right now, she is more important than his writing. "What happened?"

Tears keep running down Kate's face. She takes a breath before answering. "He… he was shot Rick."

Tears start to form in Castle's eyes. Roy Montgomery was his friend. "What? When?"

"Before I came home." She has to take another breath before continuing. "He… he didn't make it, babe."

Castle pulls Kate as close as he can. "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry." He rubs one of his hands up and down her back.

Kate wraps her other arm around Castle's neck and leans her forehead against his. "He was there Castle. He was there with us. None of us knew, until after we heard gunshots."

He stops rubbing her back. "Wait, what? Roy was at the same place you guys were?" Kate just nods her head. "Why?"

"I don't know. I was sitting in my car waiting to see if there was any indication I needed to get out. Ryan and Espo were in their car too." She takes a deep breath. "I didn't get out of my car until I heard gunshots. That's when I told Ryan and Espo that we needed to move in."

"So, you guys were doing a stakeout?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Castle starts rubbing Kate's back again. "Ok, so what happened when you guys heard gunshots?"

"We ran into the airplane hangar where the sound of the gunshots came from." She quickly wipes away more tears. "Roy got them. I don't know how. He was outnumbered."

"Why an airplane hangar?"

"It's where the evidence was leading us. We also received a tip that something was planned to go down at an airplane hangar."

Castle lets out a little sigh. "Do Evelyn and the girls know?"

"I think so. Just as I was leaving the scene to come home an officer was dispatched to inform Evelyn."

After giving Kate a kiss on her forehead Castle asks, "So, what happens now?"

Kate doesn't want to think about, but she has to. Castle asked the question she wasn't ready to answer. She takes a breath before answering, "Plan a funeral."

Castle nods. Of course, that should have been an obvious answer. Roy had taken down the suspects that Beckett's team was looking into, before he got killed. "Is the NYPD planning it?"

"Some of it. Evelyn decides what kind of casket she wants Roy to be placed in, where she wants the services to be held, and which cemetery he'll be buried at." Kate sniffs and wipes more tears away. "The NYPD will handle the rest."

"Will you please tell Evelyn that I'm here wanting to help? Cost, flowers, anything."

All Kate does is nod. "Castle, can we get into bed?" Castle gives her a confused look. "No, babe. Not like that. I just want you to hold me."

Castle nods. "Of course. Anything you need." Castle saves his document before picking Kate up off of his lap and carrying her to their bedroom. Castle lays Kate on her side of the bed before he walks around to his side. He gets on the bed and slides across to hold her close. "Do you want anything to eat?"

Kate shakes her head. "No. I just want to be here with you."

"Ok." Castle kisses her head and holds her tight.

After a while, Kate breaks the silence. "I can't believe he's gone Castle." She starts to cry. "I didn't want to believe that it was actually him I was seeing. I thought it was just someone who looked like Roy." Kate grips the arm Castle has around her waist. "But it was him Castle. It was Roy."

"Honey, I'm sorry. I know you looked up to him. He was like a second father to you." He takes a slight pause trying to think of something else to say. "I'm sorry, honey. I don't know what else to say."

"You don't have to say anything Castle. Just stay here with me. Stay close to me." Kate's crying gets harder to the point where she is now shaking in Castle's arms. "I can't imagine losing you. I don't want to lose you." Kate takes a moment to catch her breath. "My heart breaks for Evelyn. She lost the man she loves. How can anyone survive that, babe?"

"I don't know honey. I don't know." Castle gives Kate a kiss and a tight squeeze. "Shh, I'm right here. I don't plan on going anywhere. I plan on spending the rest of my life with you."

Kate just nods. She decides to turn in Castle's arms so she is now facing him. She curls into him with her forehead to his chest and she pulls her arms close to her chest between her body and Castle's. Castle still has his arm wrapped around Kate. "Please, don't ever leave me." She uses Castle's shirt to wipe some of her tears. "I love you." She takes a breath. "I love you so much."

Castle doesn't care that Kate used his shirt to wipe away her tears. He wants to do anything to comfort his wife. He wants to be here for her through anything and everything. "I love you too." Castle lifts Kate's chin up so he can give her soft kiss on the lips. After they kiss Kate puts her head back down to Castle's chest. Castle pulls Kate as close as he can and rests his chin on the top of her head. Kate falls asleep in Castle's arms. Castle realizes that Kate has fallen asleep and gives Kate a kiss on her forehead before sleep overtakes him.

 **To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. Thank you for taking time out of your life to read my story. It really means a lot. All the feedback I get helps to become a better writer. I had written the first two chapters before I decided to upload the story. Now, it's time for me to write Chapter 3. I like to try and stay a chapter ahead before I upload a new chapter. I'm not sure how many chapters I plan on writing. I guess I'll just go with the flow and see where it takes me. Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

 _ **Chapter 2**_

Castle wakes up in the middle of the night and notices he is still in his regular clothes. He and Kate hadn't changed their clothes before they fell asleep. He gets up, carefully, to go to the restroom. He comes back out and looks at Kate, who is still asleep on the bed, then walks into his office. He remembered that he has to finish writing his chapters. He didn't get a chance to finish writing before he went to sleep. He was taking care of his wife who was sad and a bit shaken with the loss of her captain.

Castle has no idea how long he had been sitting at his computer writing when he hears Kate screaming out his name. He bolts up from his desk chair and runs into his bedroom to check on his wife. She is still calling out his name by the time he reaches the bed. She is now sitting upright. "Shh, Kate. It's ok, I'm right here." He sits down next to her, on her side of the bed.

Kate has fear in her eyes. "Castle?" She isn't quite sure if she's still dreaming. She sees him sitting next to her, but reaches a hand up to touch his face to make sure she isn't dreaming. "Castle?" Tears run down her face.

Castle reaches a hand up to wipe the tears away with his thumb. His free hand reaches up to grab the hand that she had placed on his face. "Shh, honey. I'm right here. You had a bad dream. I'm right here." He removes her hand from his face to entwine their fingers together. He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Oh god, Castle. It was you." Kate starts crying.

"What was me?" He pulls Kate into his lap.

Kate has to catch her breath before she can say anything more. "It was you instead of Roy." She puts her head on his shoulder and wraps her arms around him. "You were the one lying on the ground."

"Oh, honey." He runs his fingers through her hair and, as best as he could, kisses her forehead. "I'm right here. I'm fine."

Kate's crying slows. "This may sound unreasonable, but I don't know if I can let you out of my sight right now."

"Ok." Castle slides Kate off of his lap. He grabs her hand just as he stands up from the bed. While holding her hand he walks out to the kitchen.

She follows him reluctantly. With her free hand Kate wipes at her tears. "Where are we going?"

"I'm going to make you some tea."

"But, why am I coming with you?"

Castle stops walking to look at her. He squeezes her hand. "Well, you said you didn't want me out of your sight. So, you're staying with me."

She gives him a small smile. "Thanks, babe."

They continue walking into the kitchen. When they reach the counter with the barstools he has Kate sit down in one of them. "Here, sit right here. You can still see me while I make your tea." He walks around the counter to boil the water for her tea. "Do you feel like talking about it?" He turns to look at her. She is looking down at the counter. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Kate takes a breath to compose herself. "Talk about what?" She pauses. "The dream or what actually happened?" She looks up from the counter to look at him.

After getting a mug down from the cabinet he walks over to where Kate is sitting. "Whichever one you want. It doesn't have to be any of them, if you don't want to."

Kate lets out a sad sigh. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about all of what had actually happened." Castle nods. "My dream was a little different from what happened." She slowly lets out a breath. "You know that it was you instead of Roy. But, I didn't tell you how it happened."

The kettle whistles. Castle turns around to turn off the stove. He pours the hot water into her mug. He returns to where Kate is sitting and places the tea in front of her. "Ok. So, tell me what happened. Only tell me if you're up for it. I don't want to push you."

She takes a deep breath in and lets the air out slowly. "You were there with us. You were with me in the car, but you were getting impatient." She takes a sip of her tea. "I told you to stay in the car, but you didn't listen." She reaches across the counter to grab Castle's hand. "You had gone into the hangar, without me, to see what you could find." She takes a pause. "You were hiding in the shadows. You saw Roy there with 4 other guys." Kate gets tears in her eyes. "You saw that one of the guys aimed their gun at Roy." She stops to look down into her tea and a tear falls onto the counter.

Castle squeezes her hand. "Honey. You don't have to say any more if…"

Kate cuts him off. "No, I need to get this off my chest." She wipes the tears away with her free hand. "You were within 4 feet of Roy. You were hiding behind him. Roy had raised his gun at the person who was aiming a gun at him." She shakes her head to try to get the image out of her mind. But she continues on. "You were unsure of who was going to take the first shot. You had sensed that the person who had their gun aimed at Roy would take the first shot, so without making a sound, you ran out from the shadows to tackle Roy to the ground." Kate's heart starts racing at the thought of that actually happening. "You got to Roy just as a shot was fired. Roy was able to get a few rounds off while you were laying on top of him, after you had made the tackle."

Castle gets tears in his eyes seeing Kate so scared. "Did anything else happen after that?"

Kate nods. "Yes. Just as Roy was rolling you off of him the boys and I had run into the airplane hangar. Roy rolled you off of him after he shot the last guy." Another tear falls onto the counter. "Roy had used you as a shield, since you had already taken hit and you were laying him." Kate has to take a deep breath. "I called out your name, but you didn't answer."

Castle wipes a tear from his eyes as Kate does the same to her own. "Did you and the boys run into the hangar at the same time you did in reality?"

"Yes. As soon as I heard gunshots, I sprinted out of the car, because I knew you had gone in there." Kate tries to slow down her breathing before she can go on telling Castle about her dream. "I ran over to you. You were laying there, motionless. Roy stood up and just stared at you. He walked slowly backward." Kate takes another sip of her tea to try and control her tears and breathing. "There was so much blood on the ground. You wouldn't open your eyes. I was looking for a pulse and listening for your heartbeat, but there was nothing there." Kate starts crying again at the thought of losing her husband, the love of her life.

When Castle sees that his wife is crying again, he walks around the counter to hold her close. "Oh, God Kate." He has tears rolling down his own face now. The tears leave little drops on his shirt. "Oh, honey. I'm right here." He pulls Kate's head to his chest so she can hear his heartbeat. To give her comfort and reassurance that he is very much still alive.

Kate sets down her mug on the counter. She turns to face Castle, who is standing next to her, and grabs hold of his shirt. With his shirt fisted in her hands, she talks into his chest. "I love you, Castle."

He holds Kate as tightly as he could, still allowing her to breathe. "I love you too, honey. I love you so much." He kisses her temple. He pushes her off of his chest to look her in the eye. He uses his thumbs to wipe at her tear stained face. "Grab your tea and come with me into my office."

Kate raises one of her eyebrows. "What for?"

"I need to finish writing the last little bit to send it off to Gina. I want you to be able to see me. If it would make you feel better, you can sit in my lap as I finish." He gives her a soft kiss on the lips. "I'm almost finished, I promise. As soon as I finish up the last little bit, we can do whatever you want."

Kate nods and grabs her cup of tea as she gets down off of the barstool. "Ok."

"Come on. I don't plan on leaving you for a very, very long time."

Kate pulls him back to stop him from walking any further. "Is that supposed to be funny, Castle?"

Castle realizes how that must have sounded to her and his eyes go wide. "Oh, honey, I didn't mean it like that." He pauses to think about how he will rephrase what he had said. "What I mean is… I plan on spending the next 50 years with you. I plan on growing old and gray with you."

Kate gives Castle a smirk before she kisses him. "I knew what you meant, babe. It just took me by surprise at first." She then pulls him to his office so he can finish writing.

Castle shakes his head. He certainly loves this woman with every fiber of his being. Once they reach his office he releases her hand to sit down at his desk to finish writing. "Feel free to do whatever you want, while I finish up here. You can sit in my lap, or you can sit in the chair in front of me and watch me work. That's up to you."

She just nods at Castle. She grabs one of his books off of the bookshelf and plops herself down in the chair across from him. She sets her mug down on the desk so she can read. The clicking of his computer keys is making it hard for her to concentrate on reading. She lifts the book up higher, so she can just barely see over the top. She decided that she was going to watch him work. She loves how his brow furrows a little when he's concentrating so hard on what he's writing.

Kate closes the book and sets it down on the desk. She gets up from where she's sitting to walk around the desk to sit in his lap. It takes him by surprise. "Oh, hi honey."

"Hi babe. I came over to be closer to you." She lets out a little sigh, "besides it was getting too hard to read when all I can hear is the clicking of the keys."

Castle nods and kisses her shoulder. "Sorry about that." He goes back into his writing. He has a few more sentences to write and then he can send off his chapters to Gina.

While sitting in his lap she looks at the computer screen trying to read what he has been writing. It's doesn't make any sense to her, because she doesn't know how it all starts. She runs her fingers through his hair while he works, hoping it will help him stay relaxed as he finishes up his work. "You're a very good writer Mr. Castle." She kisses his hairline.

He finishes up what he needed to and sends off his work to Gina. He closes his computer as soon as his chapters have been sent. "Why, thank you Mrs. Castle. Being married to my inspiration and my number one fan helps me become a better writer." He kisses her on the lips. "Now that I have finished my work, what would you like to do?"

Kate has to look at the time. It's still the middle of the night so it's too early for breakfast. "Can we sit on the couch and cuddle? Maybe you can read me one of your books? It actually might help put me to sleep."

Castle's jaw practically falls to the floor. "Are you saying my work is boring? You just said, 30 seconds ago, that I was a very good writer."

She gives him a small smile. "Yes, I did say that. You are such a good writer that it puts me to sleep."

He puts his hand on his chest. "Ouch, that hurts."

"Sorry, babe. I didn't mean to bruise your ego."

"I think it was more of my feelings that you were hurting. I'm proud of my work. I'm happy with what I do."

"Babe? You know I'm teasing you, right?" She kisses him on the lips to try and kiss away the hurt. "You are a very good writer. I absolutely love your books. They are very entertaining. And I'm not talking about the ones you wrote based on me. I loved your work long before then."

He gives her a warm smile. He gets them up from his desk chair to find one of his books to read to her. While he looks for one of his books to read, she grabs her tea from his desk and goes to take a seat on the couch in his office. She can hear him talking to himself. "Where is it? It was just here."

While sitting on the couch she takes a sip of her, almost cold, tea. "What are you looking for, babe?"

"I'm looking for _In a Hail of Bullets_." He runs his hands through his hair in frustration. Why can't he find it?

Kate lets out a little chuckle. "Babe? Why don't you check the top of your desk?"

Why would she want him to check the top of his desk? He leaves the bookshelf to check his desk. By golly there it is. It is sitting on the corner of his desk. What on earth was it doing there? He doesn't remember putting it there. Oh, well. He walks over to the couch and takes a seat next to his wife. "Alright. Found it. Shall we begin?"

Kate curls into his side so she can look at the book while he reads. "Don't you want to know how I knew where you should look?"

Castle thinks about it for a moment. Did he really want to know how she knew? "Ok, how did you know it was on my desk? I don't remember putting it there."

She kisses his cheek. "Because, you didn't put it there. I did. That was the one I was trying to read while you were working."

He wraps an arm around Kate's shoulders while he holds the book in his other hand. She's going to need to help him turn the pages. He starts reading the book from chapter one. She's getting sleepy. She finishes her cup of tea and sets the empty mug down on the floor and curls back into Castle's side. The sound of his soothing voice as he reads his own book puts Kate to sleep. He notices that his wife has fallen asleep, so he closes the book and sets it down on the couch next to him. He doesn't want to wake his sleeping wife, so he just lays his head on the back of the couch and dozes off while holding his wife in his arms.

 **To Be Continued**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I can't thank you enough for all the wonderful feedback I have been receiving. It truly is an inspiration. This chapter was harder to write, mainly because I wasn't sure how much dialogue I should have used, if I wanted to use any. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. More to come soon, so stay tuned.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

 _ **Chapter 3**_

The day of Montgomery's funeral arrives. Since the night that Montgomery was killed, Kate hadn't been sleeping well. She had nightmares every night. But, Castle had been right there to comfort her. Last night was no different. In fact, Castle thinks that Kate had never fallen asleep. Sure, she had been in bed with him, but he doesn't think she ever fell asleep. As Castle comes out of the bathroom after his shower, Kate is putting on her dress blues. Castle is wrapped in only a towel as he walks over to where she is getting dressed to wrap her up in his arms. He whispers in her ear, "Kate?"

She turns to look at him. "Mhm?"

"You look exhausted. Did you sleep at all last night?"

Kate shakes her head. "No, not really." She takes a breath, "I would close my eyes and try to sleep, but all I could picture was that night."

Castle nods. "Honey, why didn't you wake me?"

She lets out a sigh, "because, you needed to sleep. Today is going to be a long day."

"Kate. Today is going to be a rough day for all of us. I just want you to know that I'm always going to be here for you. Don't feel bad if you have to wake me, or to interrupt me while I'm writing." He takes a breath, "You and Alexis will always come first in my life. Writing is a hobby that just happens to be my career."

She looks up into his eyes and sees that he meant every word. She leans into his chest, "I'm not ready to say goodbye." A tear runs down her cheek.

Castle hugs her tighter to his chest. "I know, honey. I don't think any of us are. You have me and the rest of the precinct to lean on."

Kate can't help but think about Roy's daughters. Another tear runs down her cheek. "Castle?"

"Yeah, honey."

"What's going to happen with Roy's girls?"

Castle releases her from his chest to look at her. "What do you mean? They still have Evelyn."

"Well," she takes a pause. "They're not much older than Alexis. How are they going to continue growing up without their father?"

He gives her a peck on the lips. "Honey, that's not what's really bothering you. There's something else you're thinking about. What is it that's really on your mind?"

She lets out a sigh, "how will they be able to get married without their father? Roy should be here to walk them down the aisle. They've been robbed of that opportunity." Kate has to wipe the tears away from her eyes. "It was hard enough for me to get married without my mom, and I can't imagine what it would have been like if my dad wasn't here to give me away."

Castle takes hold of Kate's hand and walks her over to the bed so they can sit down. He rubs circles on Kate's back. "Oh, honey. It won't be easy for them, but they will find a way. They are strong young women. Roy and Evelyn raised them well." He lets out a small sigh, "If anything, whenever the girls are ready to get married, I think Evelyn should be the one to give the girls away. But, of course, that's just me."

Kate nods her head and puts her head on Castle's shoulder while she wipes away more tears. "I know how hard it is to lose a parent, so I know what they're going through and it's not fun."

"Of course not, Kate." He kisses the top of her head. "It's never fun to lose anybody you care about. But, just look around at all the people that care about you. They'll be here for you as someone to lean on, someone you can talk to." Castle takes a breath. "The girls are going to be fine, Kate. It'll take some time, but they'll be fine." Castle looks at his watch to check the time. "Kate, we need to get going soon and I still have to get dressed."

They both get up off the bed. Castle goes into the bathroom to get dressed while Kate goes back to the closet to grab her hat. She stares at her hat for a little while. "Castle?"

Castle answers from the bathroom. "Yeah, honey."

"Who is driving? Me or you?" She places the hat on her head, then walks over to the mirror to look at her outfit.

As Castle walks out of the bathroom he is buttoning up his black dress shirt. "I'm not sure. I was actually thinking that maybe we can use the car service. That way neither one of us has to drive."

She turns away from the mirror to look at him. "We can do that?"

"Sure. That's what the car service is for It's why I pay them." He finishes buttoning up his shirt and walks over to Kate. "Kate, it's going to be a long day. You didn't sleep last night and we're both going to be emotional. I think it's best if neither one of us drives. I can call Eduardo right now and have him pick us up." Kate nods and walks out into the living room, while Castle finishes getting ready.

Ten minutes later Castle's car service arrives downstairs. Both Rick and Kate look around to make they have everything they're going to need before leaving the loft. After Castle closes the door to the loft behind them he locks the door. The two of them walk down the hall toward the elevator hand in hand. The ride down to the lobby was quiet. Neither one of them knew what to say, if they wanted to say anything. They reach the lobby and walk out the front door still holding hands. Eduardo opens the door for them before they reach the car. Eduardo tips his hat at both Rick and Kate. Kate thanks him before she gets in the car. Castle pats Eduardo's shoulder and gives him a smile before he climbs into the back of the car.

While riding in the car on the way to the church Kate reaches over to grab Castle's hand. She looks over at him and gives him a teary smile. "Thanks for being here with me."

He returns the smile and squeezes her hand. "Always."

On the way to the church, Kate moves closer to Castle and curls into his side. She rests her head on his shoulder while still holding his hand. It takes about 20 minutes to get from the loft to the church. Eduardo gets out of the driver's side to open the back door to let Rick and Kate out. Rick and Kate were greeted outside the church by detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito, Dr. Lanie Parish, and Kate's father Jim Beckett.

As the group was finishing up giving each other hugs, the hearse, carrying the casket of Captain Roy Montgomery pulls up in front of the church. The casket was draped with an American flag. Castle, Kate, Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie turn to look at the car. Each of them hold their breath, bracing themselves on what is going to happen next. Neither one of them is prepared to say goodbye to a dear friend and mentor.

Lanie and Jim walk up the stairs toward the entrance of the church while Castle, Ryan, Esposito, Kate, and two other officers walk to the back of the hearse. Evelyn and the girls get out of the car that was following the hearse, to watch members of the NYPD and a best-selling author remove Roy's body from the vehicle. As the team carries Roy up the stairs, Evelyn and the girls walk close behind.

Inside the church there was a sea of dark blue, from the cops wearing their dress blues, with specks of black from mourners who were not members of the police force. During the service, Kate sat close to Castle holding his hand while her hat was layed in her lap. Lanie sat close to Esposito and linked her arm with his. It was a beautiful service. A few people were able to share their favorite stories of Roy. Some stories brought tears to people's eyes, while some other ones were light-hearted and had received a few chuckles.

When the service was over, Roy's casket was rolled back out into the lobby of the church. The family followed behind, along with the members of the 12th precinct that Roy had worked with. The 6 pallbearers carried Roy's casket down the steps toward the hearse. Once they reached the bottom, the 6 of them carefully placed the casket into the back of the car. The hearse and the car that Evelyn and the girls are riding in, head for the cemetery. Eduardo pulls around to the front of the church after the two cars had left.

Castle sees Eduardo get out of the car to come around and open the door for them. "Hey, Eduardo. I was going to call you. How did you know the service was over?"

"I found a parking spot and waited in the back of the church. Once it was over I walked back to get the car."

Castle gives him a nod. "Well done, Eduardo."

Eduardo nods. "Thank you, Mr. Castle."

Kate and Rick climb into the back of the car and head for the cemetery. On the way to the cemetery Rick looks over at Kate. "How are you doing, honey?"

She lets out a sigh. "As good as I can be, I guess."

Castle wraps his arm around Kate's shoulders to pull her close. He kisses her temple, "I'm right here Kate, if you need me, whenever you need me."

She looks at him and gives him a small smile. "Thanks babe." She gives him a soft kiss on the lips and then curls into his side. "I didn't see Alexis or Martha there. Didn't they say they were planning on coming?"

"Yes, they did. They were there. They chose to sit in the back. I saw them as we were walking out of the church." Kate mumbles something, but Castle couldn't quite make out what it was. "Look, honey, you're emotional right now. You're in an emotional daze, which is probably why you missed seeing them.

Kate nods her head slightly. "Will they be coming to the cemetery?"

"As far as I know, yes." He takes a breath. "I know that Evelyn wanted to keep it somewhat small. You know, just having it be family, the force, and a few close friends. Evelyn told me that it was ok to invite mother, Alexis, and your dad."

She's surprised. "My dad is coming to the cemetery too?"

Castle shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know if he is actually going, but I did tell him he was invited." He lets out a sigh, "look, today is a rough day for all of us. I think it'll be good for us to have our family there by our side to help us through this. Roy was our friend. We'll need other people that we care about and who care about us, to be there for us through this difficult time."

A tear rolls down Kate's face. She didn't even know it was there until Castle wiped it away. "Thanks babe. I suppose you're right. We will need all the support we can to get through this. It won't be easy, that's for sure." She lets out a sigh, "and it certainly won't be easy to go back to work. It just won't be the same without him."

He hugs her tighter. "I know Kate. I know."

They arrive at the cemetery around the same time as everybody else. Eduardo goes to open the back door to let them out of the car. As soon as she gets out of the car Kate puts her hat on. Kate and Castle walk hand in hand to where everybody has seemed to gather. Eduardo just waits at the car until he's needed. Kate gives Evelyn a hug, since she didn't get a chance to do it back at the church.

Martha, Alexis, and Jim arrive at the cemetery together. Martha walks over to Castle while Jim walks over to talk with Kate. Alexis decides to go talk with Lanie and the boys. Martha asks Castle, "How are you doing kiddo?"

Castle gives Martha a hug. "I'm doing ok, mother. I could be better, though."

"Of course darling. Roy Montgomery was your friend. You played poker together."

He lets a tear run down his face. It was hard to tell he had any tears in eyes, because of the sunglasses he was wearing. "Yeah. Playing poker and being at the precinct will never be the same."

Martha rubs her hand up and down Castle's arm. "I'm sorry kiddo. How's Katherine doing?"

Castle lets out a heavy sigh. "She's hanging in there. There's a part of me that feels like she's not letting her real emotions out. She's trying to be strong, like she needs to show the world how tough she is, just because she's a cop."

All Martha could do was nod. She was about to say something when the minister said he was ready, and has everyone take their seats around the burial site. A drum cadence begins as Kate, Castle, Ryan, Esposito, and the other two pallbearers retrieve the casket from the hearse. The cadence continues until they have set the casket down at the site. Once the casket has been set down the 6 of them take their seats. The minister then begins the burial service.

At one point in the service the minister asks Kate to come forward to deliver her eulogy. Kate stands up from her chair and Castle gets up with her. They walk up to the front together. Kate stands at the podium while Castle stands off to the side. He's there for support in case she ever needs him while she's giving her eulogy. Castle looks around at the scenery, then looks back over at Kate. Kate pauses in her speech to make eye contact with Castle. She returns to giving her speech and Castle looks away. As he is looking out over all the other headstones, something catches his eye. He can't quite make out what it is at first, but then something clicks in his brain and he reacts quickly.

Castle barely makes contact with Kate to tackle her, before the sound of a gunshot reaches his ears. He feels a little bit of pain, but he doesn't know what it is. Was it the impact of hitting the ground? Was it the impact of tackling Kate? Or was it both? The friends and family of Roy Montgomery duck for cover when they hear the sound of a gunshot, with some of the women screaming.

With Castle tackling her to the ground, Kate gets the wind knocked out of her a little. She is laying in the grass with Castle still on top of her. She taps his shoulder, "Castle, you can get off of me now." He doesn't respond. "Castle?" Still no response. Kate can feel something warm on her body and pushes Castle off of her. She puts her hand where she felt the warmth and blood gets on her gloves. She looks over at Castle who seems to be fighting for air. Both Kate and Castle have fear in their eyes. Kate has tears streaming down her face when she touches Castle's torso and gets more blood on her white gloves. "RICK?!"

 **To Be Continued**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I apologize for the late update. I was feeling burnt out from work and trying to get all my ideas written down. I just needed some rest so I could come back fresh. Thank you for understanding. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

 **Chapter 4**

"Castle?" Kate has tears streaming down her face. She can barely hear Alexis' voice over all the commotion happening around her. "Babe? Can you hear me?" She takes off her blood-stained gloves and cups his face in her hands. "I love you. Please don't leave me." She pauses to wipe her face. "I need you." With that Castle's eyes close.

Lanie runs up behind Kate and tries to get her out of the way. "Kate. Sweetie, let me take a look at him." Kate doesn't budge. "Sweetie, let me help him."

Kate yells, "No! I'm not leaving my husband, Lanie!"

In a soothing tone Lanie tries to calm Kate down. "I know sweetie. You can stay right here off to the side, while I take a look at him." Kate nods and moves out of the way so Lanie can tend to Castle.

Alexis is screaming out for her dad, but Ryan is holding her back while Lanie is trying to save Castle's life. Kate just stares at her husband. The sound of sirens gets closer, but Kate doesn't even bat an eyelash. The ambulance arrives on the scene and they run over to Castle. Lanie, being a doctor, has told the paramedics what she has found so far. The paramedics work on Castle, but they block Kate's view. She tries to make her way through but they have to keep her away. They stabilize Castle before putting him on a stretcher.

The paramedics are putting Castle into the back of the ambulance when Kate is climbing into the back with him. The EMTs try to get Kate to stay back. "I'm sorry ma'am."

"No! Please! He's my husband! I'm not leaving him!" The paramedics look at each other and give her a nod. Kate doesn't hesitate to climb into the back of the ambulance and stay right by her husband's side to hold his hand. The ride to the hospital seemed like it would never end to Kate. In the 7 minutes it took to get to the hospital, Castle's heart had stopped twice. Each time his heart stopped, it seemed as though Kate had stopped breathing. She's not ready to lose her husband. They had only been married for 2 months. They still had the rest of their lives. There was still so much for them to do together.

Doctors and nurses where waiting outside when the ambulance arrived at the hospital. Kate was the last one to exit the ambulance. Doctors and EMTs were rushing around to transfer Castle from the stretcher onto a gurney. The doctors need to get Castle into an OR as soon as possible. They're running through the halls to get to the OR with Kate following as close behind as she can. Once they reached the restricted area, they had to stop Kate from going any further.

"Please! He's my husband!" Kate has lost control of her emotions.

One of the doctors takes a step away from the gurney to talk with Kate. "Ma'am, we're taking him into surgery. We are going to do everything we can to save your husband's life."

Kate is emotionally drained, so she speaks in a whisper. "Please. I can't lose him." She takes a breath with tears still streaming down her face. "He's the love of my life. He is my whole world."

The doctor nods and turns to head towards the OR leaving Kate all alone in the hallway. She stands in the hallway for a few minutes, alone, before the rest of her family and her friends arrive. Kate hasn't moved from her spot since she stopped just before the doors to the restricted area. Her family and friends enter the hallway and run towards her. Alexis is panicking, "Kate? Kate, where's dad?"

Kate hasn't said anything. She didn't even make any movement to acknowledge she had heard them enter the hallway, let alone hear what Alexis had said.

Martha carefully walks up to Kate. "Katherine?" Kate slowly turns her head to look at Martha. "Katherine, where's Richard?"

Her voice was raw from all the crying she had done. "They just took him into surgery." Kate takes a step back to lean against the wall. Once her back hit the wall, she slowly slides down the wall to sit on the floor. She brings her knees up to her chest, rests her arms over her knees, and puts her head down to cry some more.

Alexis slowly walks over to where Kate is sitting on the floor and sits down next to her. Alexis has tears in her eyes. "Kate?" Kate doesn't say anything. She just lifts her head enough to look at Alexis. "It's ok to be scared. I'm scared too." Alexis nudges closer to Kate hoping to comfort each other.

Kate lifts her head and wraps an arm around Alexis to pull her closer. Alexis lays her head on Kate's shoulder and Kate places her head on top of Alexis'. Everybody stays in the hallway in silence waiting for any news on Castle. Kate can only speak in a whisper, mainly meant for Alexis' ears only. "He took that bullet for me." Kate takes a deep breath. "Why? That bullet was meant for me."

Alexis lifts her head off of Kate's shoulder to look her stepmom in the eye. She has tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall. "Because, he loves you Kate." A tear finally falls. "He will do anything for the people he loves."

Kate reaches up to Alexis' face to wipe away some of her tears. She gives Alexis a teary smile, "that's one of the things I love about him." She wipes away tears from her own eyes. "But, he shouldn't have risked his life for me. He didn't sign up for this job, I did." Kate looks down at the ground before looking back up to Alexis. "I don't want you to lose your father. And I don't want Martha to lose her son. That guilt would sit on my shoulders for the rest of my life."

Alexis wraps her arms around Kate as best as should could, while they're still sitting on the floor. "What about you, Kate? What would happen if we lost you?" Kate wraps her stepdaughter up in her arms while Alexis sobs. "You're a part of this family too, Kate. I'd be losing the best mom I have ever had. And gram?" Alexis pauses to catch her breath. "Gram would be losing the daughter she dreamed of having."

Martha walks over to where Kate and Alexis are both sitting. She overheard part of the conversation. "It's true, Katherine." Martha wipes away a tear from her eye before it could fall. "You are the daughter I never had. And I'm very grateful you came into our lives. You are as much a part of this family as Richard is." Martha takes a slight pause. "I couldn't bear the thought of losing any of you. You three are my family. And I couldn't be more happy."

Alexis and Kate were getting uncomfortable sitting on the floor, so they both stood up to give Martha a hug. After they had embraced each other they walked over to the waiting room. Martha and Alexis took a seat while Kate started pacing. Jim was watching his daughter pace around the waiting room and it was making him anxious. "Katie?" Kate doesn't say anything, but looks at her dad while she continues walking around the waiting room. "You're making anxious. Will you come sit down? Rick will be fine."

Kate stops in her tracks. "How do you know that dad?!" She didn't mean to yell at her father, but her emotions are getting the better of her. "I nearly lost my husband! He was shot because of me! He took the bullet that was aimed at me!" Kate takes a breath before she continues. "Nobody knows if he'll be ok or not. Most gun-shot wounds are fatal." Kate starts crying.

Jim starts to get up from his seat, but Martha stops him. Martha knows that Jim is Kate's father, but Martha thinks that Kate needs a mother's comfort right now. Martha walks over to where Kate is still standing and wraps her up in a warm hug. "Katherine, darling?" Kate looks at Martha with tear stained cheeks, but doesn't say a word. "Come over here with me. We'll take a seat over here away from everybody." Kate just nods and lets Martha lead her to the opposite side of the waiting room.

Kate and Martha take their seats away from the rest of the family. Kate's crying slows. "I'm not ready to lose him Martha."

"I know darling. I know. But, if I know Richard like I think I do, he'll be ok. He's a fighter just like his wife." Martha runs a hand up and down Kate's back. "He knows the two of you still have your whole lives together ahead of you and he's going to fight for that. He's not ready to lose you either."

Kate nods. "I don't know what I would do without him."

"Oh, darling let's not think about that."

"No, Martha, I need to talk about this. I need to get it off my chest, if you don't mind." Martha nods to give Kate permission to continue. "I was in a bad place after my mother died. I fell down this deep dark rabbit hole and I never thought I would come out of it. But, Castle…" She lets a few tears fall and wipes them away before she goes on. "Castle was there. He reached down and helped pull me out of that hole. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him." Kate takes a deep breath. "He brought light back into my life again. He made life worth living. He helped me to have fun again." Kate starts crying again.

Martha wraps Kate up in her arms and rubs soothing circles on her back. "Richard was smitten with you when he first met you. He told me. When he couldn't stop talking about you, I knew that you were someone very special to him. I knew that you would be the one." Martha leans back to get a good look at Kate. "Besides Alexis, Richard has never loved anybody as much as he loves you. I can see it, just by the way he talks about you, or in the way he looks at you. And I know you love him just as much. I see it in your eyes."

Kate stops crying and wipes away her tears. She sits wrapped up in Martha's arms for a few more minutes. The waiting room stays quiet for a while. Friends and family of Richard Castle had been in the waiting room for quite some time. Nobody knows how long they've been there. It seems like they had been there, waiting for what seemed like, forever.

Everyone looks in the direction to the sound of a door opening, hoping for good news, when the doctor comes walking out from the OR with a nurse standing right beside him. "Family of Richard Castle?"

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: I apologize for this chapter being a little short. I didn't want to make Castle's surgery too long. There is a whole lot of waiting and not doing a whole lot while waiting for someone to come out of surgery. I also wanted to leave it as a cliffhanger and thought this was the best place to end the chapter._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. I really am amazed at how many people are interested in this story and wish for me to continue writing it. It is a good feeling, thank you. I am not sure how many chapters this will be, but I know this is just pretty much the beginning. Please enjoy this next chapter and stay tuned for more.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

 _ **Chapter 5**_

As soon as the doctor called out for Castle's family Kate jumps out of her chair and practically runs over to the doctor with Alexis close behind. The doctor looks at Alexis and then Kate. "Are you the family of Richard Castle?"

Kate nods and looks around at the rest of her family and friends in the waiting room. "Yes, we all are. I'm his wife and this is his daughter." Kate had put her arm around Alexis when she was making the brief introduction to the doctor. "Any news on my husband? How is he?"

"Your husband is just fine, ma'am. He's just getting out of surgery. The surgery took longer than we had anticipated. The bullet had nicked his heart, but we were able to repair it. We feel he will make a full recovery." Kate and the rest of the group let out a sigh of relief. "It's going to be quite a road to recovery. He'll need all the help he can get for the first month, at least. He'll have some medication he'll need to take and he will need some physical therapy to regain his strength."

Alexis and Kate both nod in understanding. Alexis leans into Kate then looks up at the doctor. "Thank you, doctor. When can we see him?"

"You're welcome. He's getting settled into his room now. I'll have a nurse come out here and get you when they're ready. He'll still be under the effects of the anesthesia. He'll most likely be out for the rest of the night. Only two visitors at a time. Immediate family only… Wife, daughter, mother, father in-law. You get the picture." The doctor takes a breath before what he says next. "Just, be prepared when you see him. He looks worse than he really is. He still has a few tubes in him and I don't want you to be scared or worried."

Kate nods and holds Alexis closer to her. "Thank you again, doctor for everything you have done for my husband." The doctor nods and turns to walk away with the nurse. Kate turns to look at Martha and her father who were standing behind her. She was about to say something when Martha interrupts her.

"Katherine, darling. You and Alexis should go see him first. I'm ok with waiting. I'll go see Richard with Jim after you two have made your visit."

"Are you sure Martha? He's your son."

"I know, darling, but you are his wife. As much as I would love to see my son, I think he needs the two of you more." Kate was about to say something, but Martha just holds up her hand to stop Kate from saying any more. "Really, darling, it's fine. Knowing that you and Alexis will be with him is plenty enough for me."

Kate nods. Alexis leaves the arm of Kate to give her grandmother a hug then curls back into Kate, just as the nurse was coming out to the waiting room to let them know that two visitors could see Castle. Alexis and Kate follow the nurse down the hall toward Castle's room in the ICU.

With Kate and Alexis going into the ICU to see Castle, that left Martha, Jim and their friends in the waiting room. Jim looks over at Martha. "How are you holding up Martha?"

Martha looks at Jim and starts to walk over to a chair to sit down. Jim follows her. "I've been better. But knowing that Richard is ok and alive, I'm doing ok." Martha takes a breath, looks down at the ground and then looks back up to look Jim in the eye. "I don't know how you do it Jim. Your daughter risks her life every day to protect the people of New York. How do you do it?"

Jim looks at Martha, then looks down at her hands that are sitting in her lap. Jim decides to take a risk. He isn't sure what kind of physical contact is appropriate for in-laws, but he wants to be comforting. They're family now. Jim reaches over to grab hold of one of Martha's hands. He takes a deep breath. "It's not easy. When Katie told me she wanted to join the police academy I couldn't understand why she wanted to do such a thing." Jim looks down at the ground while still holding Martha's hand. "When she graduated at the top of her class from the academy, of course I was proud. I still wasn't happy in what she was doing, but I couldn't stop her. Once Katie has her mind set on something, she sticks to it and doesn't give up."

Detective Ryan walks up to Martha and Jim. "Sorry to interrupt Ms. Rodgers, Mr. Beckett. Javier and I are going to head back to the precinct to see what we can find on the shooter. The best we can do for Castle and your family right now is to find out who did this. Please call us if you need anything."

Jim looks up at Kevin Ryan, stands up and gives him a handshake. "Thank you Kevin."

Martha stands up from her chair to give him a hug. "Thank you, Detective Ryan."

Ryan gives them a small smile. "Any time. Castle is one of us. He's like a brother and Beckett is like our sister. We look out for each other. We'll leave you guys alone. Let us know if there is anything we can do." Ryan turns and walks away with Lanie and Esposito.

Martha has a tear roll down her cheek. She didn't even know there was one ready to fall. "I was so worried about Richard when he decided to start following Katherine around for his research. I was worried something like this would happen." She takes a breath. "But knowing that those two boys and Katherine have been looking out for him, makes it more manageable."

Jim nods. "Yes, I agree. I still worry about Katie, of course, but those boys have had Katie's back for as long as I've known them. They look out for her, like big brothers would look out for their little sister." Jim takes a breath. "When Rick came into her life, she became happier. She was able to have fun again. I know Katie hates having people look out for her the way they do, because she's very independent, just like her mother was. But these men in her life, are the best things to ever happen to her." Jim gets a small smile on his face. "I'll have to remember to thank them for everything they have done for Katie."

"Jim…" Martha pauses to think about how she will phrase her question. "I've known Katherine for 4 years, but I don't know much from before she and Richard met. Has anything like this happened to her before?" She stops to think. "I mean, has she ever been shot?"

Jim shakes his head. "As far as I know, from what Katie will tell me about her job, she has never gotten shot. She's been shot at, but she's never gotten hit." He takes a breath. "She has had several bruises from doing take downs and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but nothing serious." He puts his head down to look at his lap. "To be completely honest, Martha, I'm more scared than I'm letting on right now."

Martha looks at Jim with a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

Jim takes a deep breath. "I'm putting on a braver face than what I'm really feeling right now. Mainly for you, Alexis, and especially Katie."

"Oh, Jim." Martha reaches over to grab hold of Jim's hand.

"Rick is good for Katie. He's a good man and a great father." For the first time that day Jim gets a tear in his eye. "I have always feared losing Katie. And that fear came rushing into me when Rick was hit with that bullet." The tear finally falls and Martha sees it and gets tears in her own eyes. "I love Katie more than anything. She's my little girl. But, there was a part of me that always wanted a son."

Martha squeezes Jim's hand. "I love Richard too. He is the best thing his father could have given me. As much as I love my boy, I had dreamed of having a girl. That opportunity never presented itself. But, Katherine coming into Richard's life was a blessing. Katherine is the daughter I never had and I love her as if she was my own. I'm very grateful she is a part of our family."

"I feel the same way about Rick. He came into Katie's life and I couldn't be happier. He's actually the first boy Katie has dated that I actually liked. I've liked him since the moment I met him." Jim lets out a slight chuckle. "I actually think I liked him before I met him. When he and Katie first met, she couldn't stop talking about him. Most of the time it was about how much he annoyed her. Then gradually that all changed. She had fallen in love with him."

"Richard was like that too after he had met Katherine. He couldn't stop talking about her. I think it was love at first sight. But, if you ask him, he might say different."

"I don't care how the two of them met, or how long it took for the two of them to get together. He makes my little girl happy and she makes him happy. I'm proud of them both." Jim wipes away any tears from his eyes and looks at Martha. "Rick is the son I never had. Johanna would have absolutely loved Rick. She would be shouting from the mountain top that her son in-law is her favorite author."

Martha is surprised. "Your wife was a fan of Richard's work?"

Jim nods. "Huge fan. I think, in a way, Johanna got Katie into Rick's books." He takes a slight pause. "Although, I don't think Katie started reading any of Rick's books until after Johanna died." Jim feels his stomach growling. "I'm getting a little hungry. Would you care to join me in grabbing something to eat?"

"Sure. I don't think I've eaten anything since this morning. With all the 'excitement' that has happened today, I didn't realize until just now."

"After we eat something, we can see Rick. That'll give the girls time to get themselves something to eat."

Martha and Jim walk toward the elevator heading for the hospital cafeteria. "I don't know if Katherine and Alexis would be in the mood to eat anything."

"True, but they need to at least try and eat something."

"What if we brought something back for them? If they had to find food for themselves, they might not eat anything. If we brought them some food, hopefully we'll have a better chance in getting them to eat."

Jim nods in agreement and the two of them reach the elevator. Once the doors open, they enter the elevator and wonder how the girls are doing at Castle's bedside. With that, the elevator doors close.

 **To Be Continued**

 _In case you were wondering, no this is not a cliffhanger. The next chapter will give us a view into Kate's and Alexis' visit to Castle's room. I wanted to have an interaction between Martha and Jim, since we didn't get a whole lot of that on the show._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize for the late update. Work has been crazy since the holidays are approaching. I have been resting as much as I can. I have been writing any chance I can get. Thank you for the reviews. It brings a smile to my face to see people excited for the next update. It's also a feel-good moment when someone enjoys the latest update. I do the best I can using my imagination and still try to keep the voices of the characters from the show. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

 _ **Chapter 6**_

The nurse leads Kate and Alexis to Castle's room. Once they reach the room the nurse lets them know they can go inside. Alexis opens the door to the room and takes one step in and stops. Kate walked right into Alexis, not knowing that Alexis was going to stop. Alexis takes two more steps forward, slowly, to let Kate walk in. But, Kate is stopped in the doorway, unable to move. The sight of Castle has given Kate and Alexis an inability to move. The doctor was right that Castle looks worse than he is.

Castle is pale, fragile looking, with a lot of tubes and wires attached to him. He still has a tube to help him breathe and another one to feed food into his stomach. Kate and Alexis can't believe what they're seeing. After staring, for what seemed like an eternity, they move from their spots by the door.

Kate walks to one side of Castle's bed, while Alexis walks to the other. Alexis has tears in her eyes, but this time they are tears of joy. Her dad is ok and he's alive. She can't believe all of this is happening. Alexis finds a chair and pulls it next to the bed. She takes a seat in the chair and reaches out to grab hold of his hand. While holding his hand she sits and stares at him watching him breathe. With her free hand she wipes away the tears from her eyes.

On the other side of the bed, Kate just stares. It's like she's afraid to touch him. She can't believe this has happened to him. She always thought that if something like this happened, it would have happened to her. This shouldn't be happening to her husband. This was not the job he signed up for. He's a best-selling mystery novelist, he's not a cop. If anything, the heroic act that Castle had done for his wife makes Kate love him even more. He saved her life, but he nearly lost his.

The silence in the room, besides the sound of the machines, was getting too much for Alexis. "Kate?"

Kate hadn't moved an inch since she took a spot standing next to Castle's bedside. She looks over to Alexis. "Yeah, bud."

"What's going to happen now?"

Kate raises an eyebrow at Alexis, not understanding what Alexis is trying to say. "What do you mean?"

Alexis looks at her father's pale face, squeezes his hand, then looks back up at Kate. "What's going to happen with his recovery? How are we going to take care of him? What about the person who shot him?"

Kate finally moves from her spot and walks around to the other side of the bed to kneel next to Alexis. "Sh, Alexis calm down. We'll figure it out like we always do." Kate rubs one of her hands up and down Alexis' back trying to comfort her stepdaughter. "When your dad wakes up, we'll ask him where he feels he would best recover, whether it'd be at home or in the Hamptons, or wherever he feels would be best." Kate lets out a sigh. "As for the case… nobody shot him. They were aiming for me, he just happened to get hit while saving my life. But, the boys and I will do everything we can to find out who did this." Kate gets tears in her eyes. "It's not just about me anymore."

Alexis looks at Kate with a confused look. "It's not?" A thought dawns on her. "Wait, are you pregnant?"

Kate is totally taken aback on what Alexis had just asked. Alexis thought Kate was pregnant? How could she think that? Then Kate realizes how Alexis got to that conclusion. Kate had just said that it wasn't just about her any more. "No, Alexis I'm not pregnant." A tear slides down Kate's face. "No. It's not just about me anymore. I have a family now. Besides, your dad took that bullet for me. If he hadn't, then MAYBE it still would have been just about me, but it's not." Kate takes a moment to gather her thoughts. "If I'm being completely honest, I don't want it to be just about me anymore. I want to put my family first. I have had a wonderful, loving family these past 2 months. I don't want to go and ruin that, because it has been the best 2 months of my life."

Alexis lets go of her father's hand to wrap her arms around Kate's neck. "Can I be honest with you, Kate?"

Kate returns the hug Alexis had just given her. "Of course you can bud."

"These have been the best 2 months of my life too. My family is almost complete. Dad has been trying my whole life to give me the family he never had. He wanted me to have 2 parents, which he never got."

Kate looks at Alexis and gives her a smile. But, she doesn't quite understand why Alexis' family is almost complete. "Your father is a great man. And I know how much he loves you. You are his whole world." She furrows her eyebrows. "Although, Alexis, I don't understand how your family is almost complete. I think it's complete. You have you, your grandmother, your dad, MY dad, and ME."

Alexis looks down, a little nervous about what she's going to say. "Well, ever since I was a little girl, I had wanted to be a big sister. I know dad wants more kids. Like I said, he wanted to give me the life and the family he never had. He is an only child and he hated growing up being an only child. He had wanted me to have a sibling that I could grow up with and play with."

Kate nods her head. "I understand what it's like to grow up an only child." Kate lets out a little chuckle. "I guess your dad and I have something in common, besides solving mysteries. He and I are an only child. And as of right now, so are you. Now, I'm not saying that I'm pregnant, because I'm most definitely not pregnant. But, ever since your dad and I got married, I have actually thought about starting a family of my own. You know, having a baby of my own." Kate lets out a small sigh. "But, right now is not the time. I wasn't planning on having a baby until after your dad and I have been married for at least a year."

Alexis nods. "I understand. Right now, dad needs to heal, so he comes first. I've waited my whole life to be a big sister. I can wait as long as it takes."

Kate was getting tired of kneeling, so she has to stand back up. Alexis gets up from the chair she was just sitting in, to allow Kate to take a seat. "Thank you, Alexis." Kate reaches for her husband's hand and holds it while staring at him. Never looking up from Castle, she asks Alexis, "can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Kate. What's on your mind?"

She lets out a sigh. "As much as I would love to have a baby with your father one day, I don't know if I'd ever be good enough. I have my doubts as a mother. I have no idea how to be one." Kate gets tears in her eyes again. "Your dad is an amazing father. Watching him be a father to you was the first thing I fell in love with. I know he'll be just as amazing when we have our own baby."

It's Alexis' turn to kneel beside the chair. "Kate, you will be a great mother."

Kate finally looks away from Castle to look at Alexis. "How can you be so sure?"

Alexis places her hand on Kate's arm. "Because… you're an amazing mom to me, whether you realize it or not."

Kate gives Alexis a small smile. She lets go of Castle's hand to give Alexis a warm hug. "Thank you, Alexis. That means a lot."

"You're family Kate. I've never had a mom like you." She looks over at her dad, who is still knocked out after his surgery, then looks back over to Kate. "You are a better mom than my own mother and Gina combined." She gives Kate a smirk. "I think dad would agree with me."

"Thanks. It means a lot to me and I'm honored you think of me as your mom. It does make me feel a little better about becoming a mother to my own child one day." Alexis looks down at the ground, not saying a word. Kate can sense something is on Alexis' mind. "Hey, what's wrong bud?"

"I'm glad we had this talk, Kate. It was nice to get our minds off of what's going on right now. But, I'm still worried about dad. What if that day for you and dad to have a baby never comes? What if there is a setback or something?"

Kate reaches for Alexis' hand to bring her closer. "Oh, bud. We're going to figure it out." Kate pulls Alexis down to sit in her lap. She wraps her arms around Alexis' torso. "We're a family, we're going to figure it out together. Besides, the doctor said that your dad is expected to make a full recovery."

Alexis rests her head on Kate's shoulder and tears start to form in her eyes. "Yeah, I suppose you're right, but I'm still worried."

Kate rubs circles on Alexis' back. "I know bud. I'm worried too. But, we have to have faith that he'll be ok. It will be a long road to recovery and there will most likely be some obstacles to overcome, but if we're there for him, hopefully we can make it easier."

Alexis has tears running down her cheeks. "What if there is some kind of setback and he has to come back to the hospital or something?"

"Oh, Alexis. Hey, look at me." Alexis lifts her head off of Kate's shoulder to look her in the eye with tears rolling down her face. "We can't think about that right now. Bud, we need to try to look at the positive. We just have to take the recovery one step at a time." Kate lets out a sigh. "You're right that anything can happen at any moment, but we'll just have to handle it when it happens, IF it happens. It won't be easy for any of us, but if we work together as a family, we'll get through it."

Alexis nods her head and wipes away the tears from her eyes. She rests her head on Kate's shoulder again, enjoying the feeling of being wrapped up in her stepmom's arms. The two of them sit in silence, listening to the sound of the heart monitor, and just watch the most important man in their lives rest.

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: The next chapter will have Martha and Jim visiting Castle. I don't anticipate it being a very long chapter, since I want to get into Castle's recovery, where most of my ideas for this story takes place. Thank you again for all the follows. It amazes me how many people are really interested in seeing how the rest of this story goes. You readers have made me want to become a better writer._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews and follows. I have been getting bombarded with so many emails of people leaving reviews, getting favorited, or getting followed. I am quite honored. Thank you again.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

 _ **Chapter 7**_

Martha and Jim finished eating their meal in the hospital cafeteria. They got up from their table to throw away their trash. Before leaving the cafeteria to go see Castle in is room in the ICU, they grabbed some food for both Kate and Alexis. They just got something small, hoping the two of them would eat. Martha got a sandwich for Alexis and Jim got a salad for Kate.

After making their purchases, they headed toward the elevators in search for Castle's room. On the elevator ride up to the floor that Castle was on, Jim could sense the tension and anxiety on Martha. Jim hesitates. "Martha?" Martha looks over at Jim. "Are you ok?"

Martha lets out a long sigh. "I'm not exactly sure how I'm feeling, or how I'm supposed to be feeling." She looks away from Jim to look at the ground. "He's my boy. My only child." She looks back up to make eye contact with Jim. "I think I'm just nervous in seeing my boy. I know the doctor said he was ok, but I just feel like I can't believe it until I see it with my own eyes."

Jim nods in understanding. "I can understand that feeling Martha. If it was Katie lying in that bed, I would feel the same way. For me, I have to see it to believe it."

The rest of the elevator ride was silent. When the elevator reaches their floor, the doors open and they exit. The two of them walk down the hall to find Castle's room. When they reach the room, Jim lightly knocks on the door before he pokes his head in. He remembers the rules, that only 2 family members are to be in the room at a time. "Katie?" Jim didn't notice his son in-law in the bed.

Kate turns around in the chair she's sitting in, with Alexis still in her lap. "Hey dad."

"Martha and I brought the two of you some dinner. She and I can take over in here while the two of you eat."

Kate nods. "Thanks dad." Alexis had fallen asleep sitting in Kate's lap with her head on Kate's shoulder. Kate pats one of Alexis' knees. "Hey, bud. Wake up sweetie. My dad and Martha brought us some dinner. They can take over in here while we eat something."

Alexis nods and stands up. Before she walks away, she gives her dad a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back later dad. Jim and Gram are going to spend some time with you." She turns to walk out the door to eat the food Martha had brought her.

Kate gets up from the chair she was sitting in. She grabs hold of Castle's hand and gives him a kiss at his temple. "I'll be back, babe. I love you." She squeezes his hand before she walks away.

Martha, Jim, Alexis, and Kate are standing in the hallway just outside of Castle's door. Jim hands Kate her salad. "Here you go Katie. I figured you'd want something small, and I know you like to try and eat healthy."

Kate gives her dad a smile. "Thanks dad."

Martha hands Alexis her sandwich. "Darlings, why don't the two of you go sit in the waiting room and eat your food, while Jim and I keep Richard company."

Kate nods, but Alexis is the one who answers. "Ok, thanks gram."

After Kate and Alexis walk away toward the waiting room, Jim and Martha turn to enter the room. Jim lets Martha enter the room first. When Martha steps into the room she lets out a gasp. She wasn't expecting to see what she saw. She walks as quickly as she could to her son's bedside and sits in the chair that Alexis had placed next to the bed. Martha sits down in the chair and grabs Castle's hand. "Oh, Richard." Martha lets tears roll down her face.

After closing the door behind him, Jim walks to the other side of the bed, opposite of Martha, and looks at his son in-law. "You're a brave man son. Thank you for saving my daughter's life. But..." Jim gets tears in his eyes for the second time that day.

Martha looks up from her son, to look at Jim, when he doesn't finish his sentence. She can see he has tears in his eyes that have yet to fall. "Jim?"

"I'm ok Martha." He lets out a sigh. "I'm just having a hard time getting some words out right now."

"Jim, there is no win situation here. If Katherine was the one to have been shot, we would still be here. We're a family. This would be hard on all of us, no matter who it was."

Jim gives Martha a small nod. "I know Martha. It's just hard. I think I would fall apart if it was Katie lying here. But, Rick is the son I never had. He is so good for Katie. He's the only one of Katie's boyfriends I have ever liked. And, she's had quite a few."

While still holding her son's hand, she looks down at his sleeping form and a thought comes to mind. "Jim? Do you think that Katherine's boyfriends were just a distraction for her?"

Jim looks up from his son in-law to look at Martha. "What do you mean, Martha?"

"Well, how many of her boyfriends was she with after Johanna died?"

Jim has to think about it for a moment. "Well, I can't remember how many she had before Jo died. But, of course she would always talk to Jo about it. So, Jo would know better, but unfortunately I can't ask her." Jim ponders for a moment longer. "But, as far as I know, Katie has had 4 maybe 5 boyfriends since Jo died. That's not including Rick."

Martha strokes Castle's hand and wonders. "Hmm. Jim, could it be that Katherine wasn't really looking for someone to spend the rest of her life with after Johanna died? That maybe she just needed someone to distract her from her grieving, so she just went out with anybody?"

That gave Jim something to think about. That thought had never occurred to him. After Jo died, he lost himself to bottles of alcohol that he never paid close attention. "I suppose you could be right Martha. I thought maybe it was still part of her rebellious phase. I never would have thought or guessed that it could have had something to do with Jo's death."

"I'm not saying that it's true. It's just a thought. An educated guess."

Jim nods. "Martha, do you mind if I talk to Rick for a moment?" Jim pauses. "You're welcome to stay in the room if you'd like, if it would make you feel better. I know he's unconscious right now, but I just need to get some things off my chest."

Martha stands up from the chair. "Of course, Jim. You can take this seat. I'll go stand on the opposite side of the room to give you a little privacy."

Jim walks around to the other side of Castle's bed to take a seat in the chair that Martha had vacated. "Thank you, Martha." After Martha walks to the other side of the room, Jim scoots the chair as close as possible to the bed. "Rick. I don't know where to begin son." Jim lets out a small sigh. "You have made my Katie so happy and I can't thank you enough for that. If anything happened to you or if anything ever happens to you, not only will I lose you as the son I never had, but I'd lose a part of my daughter too."

Martha, standing in the corner of the room, barely hears the conversation Jim is having with her son, but from what she can hear, it brings tears to her eyes. Jim feels the same way about Castle as she feels about Kate. They're the children they each never got to have. They really are a family. A blended family, but a family none the less. She doesn't interrupt Jim. Martha just lets him continue.

"I guess now, I kind of know how Katie felt after her mom died." Jim drops his chin to his chest. "Not only did Katie lose her mom, but she lost a part of me too. I lost the love of my life, so I went to find solace at the bottom of a bottle." Jim lets tears fall from his eyes. "Rick, please don't let Katie go through what I went through. I never should have put Katie through that in the first place. She lost a part of me when she needed me the most."

Still standing in the corner, Martha decided that Jim's outpouring was getting more personal, that she left the room to give Jim complete privacy. She didn't need to hear what else Jim had to say. If Jim wanted to share with her, then he will on his own time. But, right now, it's just between Jim and her son.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jim saw that Martha was walking out of the room to leave him alone with Rick. It wasn't necessary for Martha to leave, but he appreciated the privacy. Once he heard the door close he continued. "Katie and I were all each other had after Jo's death. But, then you came along and you welcomed her into your family before the two of you even started dating. You even welcomed me into your family. Now, your family has become our family and I will be forever grateful." Jim brings his head back up to look at his son in-law's pale face. "Please get better soon son. I can't watch my Katie fall apart again. If anything happens to you, I know she'll never bounce back from it. You are her everything. You are the love of her life."

Jim said what he felt he needed to say for the moment. He stands up from the chair to walk over to the door to let Martha back in. Martha takes a seat in the chair that Jim had been sitting in when she walked out of the room. She grabs hold of her son's hand again. Martha just stares at him, hoping he would open his eyes, but she remembers the doctor saying he'd be out for the rest of the night. "Richard, darling, please wake up." She was hoping it would work. "I need to see those blue eyes of yours."

"I'm going to give you two some alone time."

Martha looks over at Jim. "Oh, that's not necessary."

"No, it's fine Martha. You gave me and Rick some time. It's only fair. I'll be right outside."

Martha nods. "Thank you, Jim." Once the door has closed, Martha turns back to Castle. "Richard, you are a brave but reckless man. How could you do something like this? Do you have any idea how scared Alexis and I were, let alone Katherine? I know you would do anything for the people you love, but you scared us half to death." She lets out a long sigh. "I know I would be singing a similar tune if it were Katherine lying here, instead of you."

Tears are rolling down Martha's face again, for what seemed like the millionth time. She hears the door open and turns to look to see who it is. When she sees it's a nurse coming in to check on her son, she quickly wipes the tears away. The nurse acknowledges Martha with a smile and a nod, but neither of them say a word. The nurse just checks Castle's vitals and makes notes on his chart.

Once the nurse leaves Martha alone, Martha continues. "I have always been afraid of what could happen to you since you first started following Katherine. I know that Alexis nor I could stop you from following Katherine around. You were following your heart." Martha lets out a small sigh. "We are always worried about you Richard. We're always afraid that you won't come home. But, I know Katherine would never let anything like that happen to you." Martha wipes away her tears. "But, when you sacrifice yourself like that, who looks out for the both of you, because you two look out for each other. And one of these days, Richard, one of you will end up dead. Nobody in this family will be able to handle it. At least we won't be able to handle it well."

The door behind Martha opens slightly, but she doesn't hear it. She just continues pouring her heart out. "Richard, please darling, I need you and Katherine to be more careful. Would you be willing to let Alexis grow up without her father, or even a wonderful mother like Katherine? Would you be ok with leaving myself or Jim childless?" Martha loses all control of her tears. "Richard, you are the light of my life. My only child, my baby boy. I can't lose you darling."

Kate and Alexis had heard the end of Martha's outpouring when they opened the door to Castle's room. When Martha had finished her sentence, Kate and Alexis walked as quickly as they could to be by Martha's side to comfort her. Martha was surprised when arms wrapped around her from both sides of her body, but it was very much welcomed.

Alexis whispers in Martha's ear. "Gram, he's ok. He's alive. We're all scared right now. We all need to be here for each other. It's the only way we'll get through this."

Martha nods and wraps an arm around both Kate and Alexis. There are more than 2 visitors in the room, but this is an exception. Jim steps through the door watching the women in Castle's life embrace each other in a group hug, when a nurse comes through the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are over. You can come back in the morning."

Alexis releases her hold on her grandmother to give her dad a good night kiss, then walks over to meet Jim by the door. The two of them walk out together. Martha stands up from the chair to give her son's hand a squeeze and a quick peck on the cheek, then heads out the door. That leaves Kate alone with her unconscious husband. She runs her fingers through his hair, squeezes his hand, and kisses his temple. She whispers to her husband. "I'll be back in the morning. I love you, babe."

She walks toward the door. Just before exiting the room the nurse tells Kate, "Mrs. Castle, we'll give you a call when he wakes up, or if anything changes."

Kate gives the nurse a nod and a small smile. "Thank you." Then she walks out the door to head home where she will be sleeping in a bed, she shares with her husband, alone for the first time.

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: Ok, this was a longer chapter than I had anticipated. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you again for all the reviews and follows. Stayed tuned for more._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I can never thank you readers enough for the reviews you leave me. It brings a smile to my face and it makes me want to write better every time. I am enjoying writing this story for you. It is emotional. I wasn't planning on it being as emotional as it has turned out to be, but I am proud of the work I have done so far. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC.

 _ **Chapter 8**_

When Kate, Alexis, and Martha arrive at the loft, Kate takes her keys out of her purse to let them into the loft. As soon as Kate closes the door behind her, Alexis gives Kate a kiss on the cheek and heads up to her room. Martha goes to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. "Katherine, darling? Would you care for a glass of wine?"

Kate puts her keys into the dish next to the front door. "No, thank you Martha. It's been a very long day. I'm going to get myself ready for bed. Thank you, though, Martha."

"Very well dear. Have a good night."

"Good night, Martha." After wishing Martha a good night, Kate walks into her bedroom that she shares with Castle. She goes to sit on the edge of the bed to take off her shoes. Kate isn't really in the mood to do anything. It has been a very long and emotional day. She is emotionally drained, she has no energy to change out of her dress blues. She just sits on the edge of the bed, on Castle's side, since it's closest to the door.

After sitting on the bed for a while, she decides to lie down. She rests her head on Castle's pillow to soak in the scent of him. She starts to grab hold of Castle's pillow to hold it closer to her, when she realizes that she is wrinkling her dress blues. She gets up to change out of her uniform into something more comfortable. She goes to the closet and opens one of Castle's drawers to find one of his t-shirts that she can sleep in. Something to keep him close to her, since this is the first night they are spending apart.

After changing into shorts and one of Castle's t-shirts, she hangs up her uniform and puts her shoes back into the closet. Once Kate was ready for bed, she climbs into bed on her side and reaches for Castle's pillow. She hugs it close to her as if she was cuddling with her husband.

Kate manages to fall asleep hugging her husband's pillow, but it's not a restful sleep. She keeps replaying the shooting in her mind. She knows he's ok, but she can't seem to get his heroic act out of her head.

Kate gets up out of bed to walk toward the kitchen. She decided that making a cup of tea would hopefully help put her back to sleep. She boils a kettle of water and reaches into a cupboard to retrieve a mug. Once she places the mug on the counter she hears footsteps coming down the stairs. She turns around and sees that it's Martha. "Hey, Martha."

Martha was taken by surprise. She wasn't expecting anybody to be in the kitchen. "Oh, hello darling. Couldn't sleep?"

Kate shakes her head. "No. This is the first time I'm sleeping without Castle right next to me. The bed is a little cold and lonely." She lets out a small sigh. "But, I was having nightmares too. I kept watching the scene unfold, over and over again."

Martha nods. "I understand, darling. I couldn't sleep either. I never thought I'd ever experience anything like that in my life. It was the scariest thing I've ever had to go through."

"You're not alone, Martha. I've been afraid lots of times. I'm a cop, I get guns aimed at me all the time. But, I think it's different when it's someone you love." The kettle whistles and Kate turns around to turn the stove off and pour hot water into her mug. "Would you care for some tea?"

"Sure. Thank you."

Kate grabs another mug for Martha and makes them both a cup of tea. She hands one of the mugs over to Martha. "Here you go, Martha."

"Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome." She gives Martha a smile. Then she takes a sip of her tea. "I was so scared I was going to lose him today."

"I know, darling. I was terrified. I was scared for the both of you. You were both there on the ground, and I wasn't sure what was happening. But, then I saw that Richard wasn't moving."

"Yeah. At first, I thought he and I were both safe. I told him to get off me, but he wouldn't move or answer. That's when I started getting scared. He was dripping blood onto me too. I felt the warmth of it through my clothes."

Martha takes a sip of her tea and stares down into her cup. "Katherine? How do you do it? How do you face stuff like this?"

Kate lets out a sigh, then takes another sip of her tea. "Well, when I applied to the academy, I knew what I was signing myself up for. This was the career that I chose. Was I always afraid that I would lose my life to a bullet? Yes. I still am, to this very day." She looks down into her cup, then looks back up at Martha. "But, like I said, it's a different feeling when it's someone you love."

"How different could it be? Isn't a bullet a bullet?" Martha takes another sip of her tea while waiting for Kate's answer.

"I believe that it's different when it's someone you love, because then you have to live with it. If it's yourself, you may or may not remember it." Kate tears up. "I am not ready to lose another person I love. It'll be even worse if I have to watch it happen right in front of my eyes."

"You're saying you might not remember it, because it would have most likely killed you."

"Yes, exactly. If you live to remember it, there will most likely be PTSD. But, if it happens to a loved one, you'll remember it for the rest of your life."

Both Martha and Kate drink their tea in silence for a while, before Martha speaks up. "How does your father handle this?"

"He deals with it very carefully. I know he's always worried about me. He'd be worried about me no matter what profession I chose." Kate sighs. "I think my dad is always worried, that I'd get killed, like my mom. Not necessarily being stabbed, but being killed in general."

"Darling, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we're all worried about you and Richard. Richard still follows you around like a puppy."

Kate gives Martha a small smile. "Yeah, I actually love having him around. I didn't used to in the beginning, but over time he has been very helpful. He's helped make my job more bearable. Even some of his crazy theories have been quite helpful. This isn't the job he signed up for. It's not a job he gets paid for, but I'm proud to call him my partner. I'm proud to be his wife and I'm proud to call him my husband."

"You know, as much as I hated when he started following you, I've never seen him happier. It's all because of you, Katherine. You have made my boy the happiest he has ever been." Martha gives Kate a smile. "Besides the day Alexis was born, the day he married you was the happiest day of his life."

Kate smiles. "The day he became my husband was the happiest day of my life." Kate finishes off her tea and places the mug in the sink. "Martha?"

"Yes, dear?"

Kate lets out a small sigh. "There is another reason why I can't sleep." She looks down at her hands, that are sitting on the counter, then looks back up to Martha. "The night that Montgomery died, I had nightmares about it. Except, Roy lived, and Castle was the one who died. Castle was the one who took the bullet for Montgomery."

Martha gets tears in her eyes. "Oh, darling." Martha doesn't know what to say.

"Now, I'm wondering if those nightmares I had were a sign. But, what could it possibly mean?"

"Darling, I don't know. It could be because you're afraid of losing someone you love, and today that almost came true. But, Katherine, darling, he's fine. He's alive. He's still with us.

Kate nods. "I suppose you're right." She pauses to take a moment to think. "Martha?" Martha looks at Kate, but says nothing. "I like my job. I like being able to get the bad guys off the street to try and make the city a safer place to live. But…"

Martha reaches across the counter to grab hold of Kate's hand. "But, what, dear?"

"But, my husband means everything to me. Castle is the best thing to have ever happened to me in my entire life. Would it be wrong to want to take some time off work to help take care of my husband?"

"Oh, Katherine. I think you should do what you feel would be best, especially if those nightmares you had almost came true."

"I'm asking, because I told Alexis that myself and the boys would do everything we could to find out whoever did this. But, I trust the boys. If they need me they can call me for help. I just really feel like I want to stay home and help my husband with his recovery."

Martha gives Kate a big smile. "You have said the word 'husband' a lot in your last few sentences."

Kate returns the smile. "Yeah, I have. We've been married for 2 months and I can't get enough of the fact that Castle is my husband. I absolutely love it. It's an amazing feeling."

"Well, darling, I'm happy that you're both happy with each other. Now, as far as Richard's recovery goes, you should do what you think would be best. I know you said that you would find out whoever did this, but I'm sure Richard would want you to be there for him."

"True, but he has you, Alexis, and my dad."

"You're right, but we all can't be there all of the time. Alexis has school, I have my acting students, your father has court cases." Martha lets out a long sigh. "Darling, one of us would need to be with him at all times, especially for the first few weeks. Alexis will be at school so, she can't be here during the day. What if we got an in-home nurse?"

Kate shakes her head. "No, I don't think Castle would ever go for that. Besides, I don't need my husband checking out any nurses and constantly asking them for a sponge bath."

"Sounds like you've made up your mind."

"Yeah. I have. I'll have to talk to the commissioner, since the precinct doesn't have a new captain yet, to see if I can take some time off. I just feel like I really need to be with Castle, like I need to be close to him, especially now. But, I also want to help take care of him. I love him."

"Very well, darling. Anyway, I'm going up to bed. Try to get some sleep dear."

"I'll try. Thanks Martha. Good night."

"Good night, dear." Then Martha disappears up the stairs.

Kate stands in the kitchen a while longer. She's not quite ready to go to bed yet, so she washes the mugs that she and Martha used for their tea. After washing the cups, she dries them and puts them back in the cupboard where she found them. Once she puts the last cup away, she closes the cupboard and walks toward her bedroom. She stops in her tracks halfway to the bedroom, when she decides to go upstairs to check on her stepdaughter.

Kate climbs the stairs for Alexis' bedroom. When she reaches the teenager's bedroom door, she presses her ear up against it with her hand raised ready to knock. But, before she can knock, she can hear crying. It's faint, but it's there. Kate knocks on the door and slowly opens it to peak in. "Alexis?" Alexis continues crying and doesn't answer. Kate opens the door even more to let herself in. "Hey bud, you ok?"

Alexis looks up to the door where her stepmom is standing and just shakes her head. Kate walks into Alexis' room and closes the door behind her. Once the door is closed Kate walks across the room to sit on the bed next to Alexis. Alexis wipes some tears away from her face, but then wraps her arms around Kate. "I was so scared, Kate."

Kate wraps her stepdaughter up in her arms and rubs soothing circles on her back. "I know, bud. I know. I was scared too." She looks down at Alexis and helps wipe away some of her tears. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Alexis shakes her head. "No, not yet. I guess I'm still trying to process everything."

"It's ok, bud. It's ok. Take whatever time you need. Today was a very emotional day." Kate continues to rub circles on Alexis' back. "Is there anything I can get you? Anything I can do for you?"

The crying slows as Alexis thinks about it. "No, not really. But…"

"But?"

Alexis curls into Kate's side. "Will you stay here with me tonight?"

Kate stops the circles. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

Alexis nods. "Yes, please."

"Ok. Slide over a bit." Kate climbs on top of Alexis' bed and Alexis slings an arm across Kate's torso and rests her head on Kate's shoulder. Kate wraps an arm around Alexis' back to continue rubbing circles on her back and rubs her other hand up and down Alexis' arm. "I'm right here, bud. Try to get some sleep.

The crying stops and Alexis' eyes start to close. "Thank you."

"Always."

Before Alexis falls completely asleep, she says one last thing that Kate almost didn't hear. "Love you, mom."

It takes Kate by surprise, but she actually enjoyed hearing it for the first time. She kisses the top of Alexis' head. "I love you too, bud."

Both Castle women sleep in each other's arms. The comfort they're giving each other will hopefully help them sleep through the night. In the morning, they'll go back to the hospital to see the man who is the most important to them, but who also made them mother and daughter.

 **To Be Continued**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows. I'm honored that you all are enjoying this story. I still have no idea how many chapters it will be. We still have quite a ways to go. My goal is to get a new chapter out to you every day, but with the holidays coming up, I'm going to be working overtime (6 days a week) until after Christmas or New Year's, so I'll get the new chapters out to you as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

 _ **Chapter 9**_

Kate wakes up the next morning and realizes that she left her phone downstairs on her nightstand. She wasn't planning on spending the night up in Alexis' room. She carefully gets off the bed, making sure she doesn't wake up Alexis. Kate quietly leaves Alexis' room and heads downstairs. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs she sees Martha in the kitchen. "Good morning, Martha."

Martha looks up from making her coffee. "Good morning, darling." She goes back to making her coffee, but quickly looks up again to Kate. "Darling, did you just come from upstairs?"

Kate yawns while nodding. "Yeah. I stayed in Alexis' room last night." She walks into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. "After you and I talked last night I went up to check on her. When I got to her room, she was crying. I sat on the bed to see if she wanted to talk about it, but she wasn't ready just yet. All she wanted me to do was stay there with her."

Martha nods and takes a sip of her coffee. "Do you see what we mean, now, dear? She needed a mother, someone to be there for her through this trauma. And there you were. You're going through it too, but you went to check on her, regardless of how you were feeling yourself. You put her first." Martha gives Kate a smile. "You are a wonderful mother. Now, I would say stepmother, but you're better than that. You're more than that."

Kate takes a sip of her coffee and lets the taste linger on her tongue. "I guess I do see what you all see now. I suppose I never really took the time to think about what I was doing, I just do it."

"Aha, that, my dear is a mother's intuition. A maternal instinct."

Kate chuckles. "Ok, Martha. I get it now." She takes another sip of her coffee. "Martha, do you remember what time visiting hours start at the hospital?"

Martha shakes her head. "No, sorry darling. It might be 8am, but don't quote me on that."

Kate looks at the time on the stove and it reads 7am. "It's 7 o'clock? Wow, Martha, you're up early."

"Yeah, I was too anxious to sleep properly. So, I came down here to make some coffee. I needed a little distraction."

Kate nods as she sips her coffee. "Right. Well, I'm going to take my coffee and get myself ready for the day. Alexis is actually still sleeping, so I'm going to leave her alone."

"Very well, dear. I'll see you later."

"See you later, Martha." Kate walks toward her bedroom to get herself ready for the day. With her coffee in hand, she walks over to her nightstand to check her phone. When she looks at it she sees she has a missed call from a number she doesn't recognize. There is also a voicemail left by the same number. She checks the message that was left. It was the hospital letting Kate know that Castle was awake and that she could see him starting at 8am. She lets out a sigh of relief. Her husband is alive and he's ok.

Kate checks the time. 7:05am. That'll give her plenty of time to take a shower and get dressed before leaving for the hospital. She goes to the closet to pick out her outfit for the day. She chooses something professional, in case she decides to go into the precinct later in the day. After choosing her attire, she finishes her coffee and heads to the bathroom for a shower. She is finished with her shower by 7:30am.

Once Kate has showered and gotten dressed she walks out of her bedroom to head upstairs to check on Alexis. When she gets to Alexis' room, Alexis is still asleep. She really doesn't want to wake up the sleeping teenager, but she just wants to ask Alexis if she wants to go with her to the hospital, which Kate already knows the answer to, but wants to ask anyway.

Kate slowly walks across the room and sits down on the edge of the bed. She runs her fingers through Alexis' hair. Kate speaks in a whisper. "Alexis? Sweetie?" Alexis stirs and opens one eye looking up at Kate. "Hey, bud. I'm so sorry to wake you, but the hospital called. They left me a message saying that your dad is awake and that we can see him at 8. Did you want to go with me? You can go back to sleep if you want."

Alexis slowly sits up and rubs the sleep from her eyes. She quietly answers, "no, I'll go with you. I can sleep later."

Kate nods and kisses Alexis' temple. "Ok, we can leave whenever you're ready. I just need to dry my hair."

"Ok." Alexis pauses. "Do I smell coffee?"

"Yeah. Martha made some earlier. I already had my cup."

Alexis starts to move to remove her covers and Kate stands up. Once Kate stands up Alexis climbs out of bed. "Coffee actually sounds good. I think I'll get dressed and then make myself a cup."

"Ok, bud. I'll be downstairs whenever you're ready."

Kate starts to walk out the bedroom door when Alexis catches her attention. "Hey, Kate?" Kate turns around without saying a word. "Was I dreaming, or did I call you 'mom' last night?"

Kate smiles and lets out a little chuckle. "You probably could have been dreaming, but that would mean you were talking in your sleep. But, I'm pretty sure you said, 'love you, mom', right before you fell asleep."

"Oh, ok. Well, I'm sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable." Alexis seemed a little shy and embarrassed that she called Kate 'mom'.

Kate's smile drops. Now she thinks that Alexis didn't mean it. "You don't have to be sorry. It took me a little by surprise, but I didn't mind it at all." Kate lets out a smile sigh. "Did you mean it?"

Alexis is taken aback. Kate thinks that she didn't mean it? Of course, she meant it, even in her sleepy state. Kate has been the best mom to her in her entire life. "Of course, I meant it. If I didn't mean it, I wouldn't have said it. No matter how emotional the day, we had, was."

Kate's smile returns. "Good. I'm glad you meant it. Because, with all honesty, I enjoyed hearing it. It sounded nice." Alexis returns the smile, but says nothing. "Well, I'll let you get ready to go, so we can visit your dad."

Alexis gives Kate a shy smile. "Ok. Thanks…mom."

Kate returns a smile. "Any time, bud."

After Kate closes the door behind her, to let Alexis change, she goes to Martha's room to see if she would want to go with them to the hospital. Kate knocks on Martha's door, but there is no answer. She opens the door slightly to peak in, but Martha isn't in her room. Kate closes the door and heads downstairs. The rest of the loft is quiet. Martha must not be home. She must have left while Kate was in the shower. So, Kate heads towards her bedroom to dry her hair and to finish getting ready.

After Kate had finished drying her hair and applied a little bit of makeup, she grabs her purse and walks out into the living room. She sees Alexis in the kitchen pouring coffee into a travel mug, so she could take it with them. "Hey, bud. You just about ready to go?"

Alexis is screwing on the top to the travel mug. "Yeah. I'm just taking my coffee to go." Alexis just walked past the stairs when she asks, "is gram coming with us?"

"I was going to ask her if she wanted to come, but she isn't in her room. She must not be home."

"Oh, ok. Well, we can always leave her a message and tell her where we'll be. Although, I'm sure she already knows where we would want to be."

"I'm sure she'll find us. She's a big girl. She knows how to take care of herself." Kate puts an arm over Alexis' shoulders. "Now, let's go see your dad."

The two of them head for the front door. When they reach the door to the loft, Alexis opens it while Kate grabs her keys from the dish by the door. When they're in the hallway, Kate closes the door behind her and locks it. Side by side the two of them walk down the hall toward the elevators. They both can't wait to see Castle awake.

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: I apologize if this chapter was a little short. The next chapter will be a little longer. It'll be back in Castle's hospital room. I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. Reviews are always welcome._


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Wow! I've made it to 10 chapters! This is by far the longest story I have ever written and there is still more of this story to come. Thank you for sticking with me through this journey. Thank you for the feedback I have been receiving. I appreciate any and all feedback. I do take your feedback to heart. I make note of it and use it as a reference if I'm having some kind of writer's block. Just like any other author I have my own process. Anyway, please enjoy this next chapter.**

 _ **Chapter 10**_

Kate and Alexis arrive at the hospital a little after 8am. They were both silent on the car ride on the way to the hospital. The ride, in the elevator, up to the room was just as silent. They were both excited and nervous to see Castle. When they got to Castle's room a nurse was checking on him, so they decided to wait until the nurse left the room to go in and see him.

Once the nurse left, Alexis and Kate walk in. They both see that he's awake, but still looking pale and tired. Alexis couldn't stand the distance anymore, so she practically runs over to her dad to give him a big hug, careful not to hurt him. "Daddy! You're ok. I was so scared." Alexis has tears running down her face. She is so relieved that her dad is ok.

Alexis wasn't letting go of her dad. All Castle could do, with the energy he had, was rub his hand up and down Alexis' back. "Sh, I'm ok pumpkin."

Kate walks around to the other side of the bed, runs her hands through his hair and grab his hand. She so badly wants to kiss him, but Alexis hasn't let go of Castle yet, so it'll be hard to give Castle a kiss. Kate gives Castle a smile. "Hey, babe. How are you?"

"Eh, I've been better. I feel like I've been hit by a truck." His voice was hoarse from having a breathing tube down his throat.

Kate gets tears in her eyes. "Babe, you can't scare us like that again. We're a family. And I would like our family to continue growing, but I can't do that without you." Kate wipes away the tears from her eyes. "Please, don't be that reckless again. I can't lose you. I'll never be ready to lose you."

Alexis had finally let go of her dad as she has tears running down her face. She wipes them away quickly. "Mom's right, dad. I'm not ready to lose you either."

Castle's eyes widen. Had he heard his daughter correctly? Did she just refer to Kate as 'mom'? Castle clears is throat. "Mom?"

Kate chuckles, looks over at Alexis, and then back down to her husband. "Yeah. It was a new thing to me too. She said it for the first time, last night. I was just as surprised as you, but I actually liked it."

Castle gives them both a weak smile. "Good, I'm glad."

"You look tired, babe. How are you really feeling?"

Castle lets out a long sigh. "Well, as I said, I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I have some pain. It was worse before you came in. The nurse had just given me some pain meds. I'm also a little sore. But, you're right I am tired." Castle's eyes start to close. "The meds are making me sleepy."

Alexis puts a hand on Castle's shoulder. "Ok, dad. Get some rest. Mom and I will be right here."

"No, I don't want to sleep. I want to stay awake as long as I can."

Kate runs her fingers through his hair. "You need to rest. Like Alexis said, we'll be right here." Castle just nods his head. "But, one thing before you fall asleep. Would you give your wife a kiss?" Kate bends down to press a kiss to his lips. Castle returns the kiss before the meds take over and he falls asleep.

Alexis finds the chair she had used the day before and starts to sit down, but she stops to ask Kate, "Did you want to sit, mom?"

"No, it's ok sweetie. You can sit there. I'll see if I can find another chair somewhere. But, first, I need to find something to eat. All I had was a cup of coffee. Can I get you anything?"

Alexis thinks about it for a minute. "Um, I not exactly hungry, but I know I should eat something. A muffin or a pastry, of some kind, would be good. Thank you."

"Sure thing bud. I could also go for another cup of coffee. Did you want any more coffee?"

Alexis holds up her travel mug. "No, thanks. I'm still good."

Kate walks around to the other side of the bed where Alexis is sitting, after she presses a kiss to Castle's temple, and kisses the top of her head. "Ok. Are you going to be ok here for a while sweetie?"

"Yeah. I'll be ok."

"Ok. I'll be back soon." Kate turns to walk out the door in search of some breakfast for herself and Alexis.

Alexis is left alone in the room with her dad who is sleeping, due to the meds he was given. She takes a sip of her coffee from the travel mug. She grabs hold of her dad's hand. "I'm so glad you're ok daddy. We were all so scared. We all care about you." She gets tears in her eyes and takes another sip of her coffee. "Dad, even Jim was getting emotional. Detectives Ryan and Esposito, along with Lanie stayed until after you were out of surgery."

Alexis wipes away the tears from her eyes. She just spends the rest of the time in silence waiting for Kate to come back. She finishes her coffee and sets her travel mug down on the ground next to her chair. Once she sets the cup down on the ground, she moves the chair closer to the bed and holds Castle's hand. She just watches him breathe. The door opens after a while and she turns to look to see that it's Kate.

Kate walks in holding a bag and a coffee cup. "Hey, sweetie."

"Hey, mom."

Kate walks over to where Alexis is sitting and hands her a pastry. "Here you go."

Alexis takes the pastry from Kate. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Kate walks around to the other side to place her stuff on the table next to Castle's bed. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

Alexis shakes her head. "No. I just spent the time watching him breathe. I finished my coffee and said a few things to him. I know he's sleeping, but I like to believe he could hear me."

Kate finishes her bite of breakfast. "Yeah. I like to believe that too." She takes a sip of her new cup of coffee. "He's most likely going to be doing a lot of sleeping the next few days, maybe even the next few weeks. It'll help with his recovery from surgery." Kate wipes the crumbs from her mouth with a napkin. "Once he starts physical therapy, he'll tire himself out, that he'll continue to sleep."

Alexis nods as she wipes her mouth. "With this talk about his recovery, you know what I was just thinking?"

"What?"

"Does Gina know what happened? Did anybody call her to tell her that dad had been shot? I certainly didn't."

Alexis is right. Kate didn't think about Gina at all until Alexis brought her up. "I didn't call her either. You don't think she would make your dad continue writing while he's recovering, do you?"

Alexis shrugs. "I honestly have no idea. But, it wouldn't surprise me if she still did make deadlines for dad and his writing."

Kate gets a little angry. She was never a fan of Gina's, especially since she's one of Castle's ex-wives. "She better not make my husband work while he's recovering from, not only surgery, but a gunshot wound. I'll give her a piece of my mind if I have to."

"Mom, relax. Let's not jump to any conclusions. First, we need to call Gina and tell her what's going on, in case she doesn't already know." Alexis lets out a long sigh. "If anything, I'm kind of hoping she heard about it on the news."

"How? Montgomery's funeral was private."

"True, but a shooting happening during a police captain's funeral? How often does that happen? I'm sure it made the news somehow. You and I were kind of in our own little world, that we had no idea what else was going on. We were more concerned about dad than anything else."

"You have a good point. Not only was there a shooting at a funeral, a best-selling novelist was shot. That has to be some pretty big news."

"See? But, we should still call Gina. She is his publisher after all."

Kate nods. "Ok, I'll call her as soon as I finish eating my little breakfast." Kate takes a slight pause. "Unless you want to call her. You had some kind of relationship with her in the past. I don't."

"Yes, you have a point, but I think in a situation like this, she may need to hear it from a cop. Not from a family member of a celebrity. Especially, if it will affect his career."

"Ok, when I'm finished here, I'll step outside and make the call."

Once Kate has finished eating and drinking her coffee, she took her trash, along with Alexis' and threw it out. She stepped outside to make the call to Gina telling her what had happened. While Kate was outside making the phone call Castle wakes up again.

Castle turns his head to look at his daughter, who is still sitting beside his bed. With a tired voice and droopy eyes, "Hey pumpkin." Alexis gives him a warm smile. Castle looks around the room and his brow furrows. "Where's Kate?"

Alexis reaches for her dad's hand. "She just stepped outside to make a phone call."

"Is everything ok? Does it have anything to do with the shooting?"

Alexis squeezes Castle's hand. "Relax dad. It's nothing like that. She's just making a call to Gina to tell her what happened. With all the excitement yesterday, nobody had thought to call your publisher telling her you would be out for a while."

Castle groans. "Knowing Gina, she'll most likely still make me work." He lets out a sigh and rubs his free hand over his face. "Why did I ever marry that woman? What did I ever see in her?"

"Um, dad, I think you married Gina, because it was convenient. She is your publisher and she wanted to keep an eye on you while you worked, so the two of you got married."

"Ugh! That was a mistake."

Alexis sighs. "You really think Gina is going to make you write?"

"Yes, I do. She acts like she cares about other people when she wants to. The thing she cares most about is the production. Getting the books out there to make sales."

Kate walks in the door and sees that Castle has woken up. "Hey." She gives Castle a warm smile. "You're awake."

Castle lifts his free hand to summon Kate over to him. "Yeah. I'm awake. I was looking for you. Alexis had said you stepped out to call Gina." He shuts his eyes and lets out a sigh. "How did that go?"

Both Castle and Alexis stare at Kate when she hesitates. "Well, it was sort of awkward. Your wife calling your ex-wife." She sighs. "I don't ever want to call her again, unless I absolutely have to. But, anyway, it went as well as it could have. She didn't hear about the shooting on the news. And she sends her well-wishes."

Castle grimaces. "How soon does she want me to start writing again?"

"With all honesty, she didn't say. She was a little surprised that you had been shot, only because it had happened during a funeral. She isn't at all surprised that you took the bullet for me. Gina does want you to get better soon, but she didn't say how soon."

Alexis chimes in on the conversation. "Hey, dad? Speaking of getting better, when you get released from the hospital, is there some place you would want to go to recover?"

Castle thinks about for a minute. He looks between the two women there with him. "Hm. Going somewhere that is private and peaceful. I don't want to go back to the loft. There is too much noise, especially here in the city."

"Are you thinking the Hamptons?"

"Yeah, I am thinking the Hamptons. It's out of the city, it's peaceful. I could get some fresh air. We can even have the physical therapist there, when the time comes for that."

Kate rubs a hand over Castle's shoulder. "Hey, there might be another option."

Castle and Alexis look at Kate questioningly. Castle is the one to ask. "What's the other option?"

"My dad's cabin up by the lake. You're family. I'm sure he'll be happy to let us stay there through your recovery. Besides, it could get you away from Gina. Gina knows where the house in the Hamptons is. She'll find you there."

Castle gives her a smile. "That is true. She'll know where to find me if I don't start writing as soon as she would want me to." Castle back tracks to what Kate had said about 'us'. "Ok, who's 'us'? You said that your dad would be happy to let 'us' stay there."

"Oh, yeah, about that. I've decided to take some time off work to be with you. To help you with your recovery. I want to be there for you. If you're going out of the city to recover, I don't want to be away from you. The time off is not approved yet, because I still have to ask the commissioner."

Alexis speaks up. "And dad, I still have school. I wouldn't be around a whole lot to help you either, no matter how much I want to."

Kate looks at Alexis. "You're always welcome to come up on the weekends to see him. He's your father. I can't and won't keep him away from you." Kate looks down to her husband. "So, Castle, what'll it be?"

Castle looks back and forth between his wife and daughter. "I think the cabin sounds lovely."

Kate bends down to kiss Castle on the lips and then smiles. "Ok. Great. I'll give my dad a call later to figure everything out."

Just then a nurse comes in. "Oh, hi. I'm sorry to interrupt. I just need to run some tests. Do you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

Kate and Alexis look at each other. What kind of tests could they be running? Oh, well, they're not really going to question the professionals. Both Kate and Alexis give Castle a kiss on the cheek and walk out of the room together. The two of them wait in the hallway. Hopefully, the results come back with good news, on whatever tests they're running.

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: THANK YOU to Natalie Elizabeth, LittleLizzieZentara, and EvaKAlways! I never would have made it this far if it weren't for the 3 of you! You 3 were the ones who got me started on writing, thank you. Look how far I've come!_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you all, for the reviews and follows. I am overwhelmed by how many of you are enjoying this story, but it makes me happy. I'm glad I could share my work with you.**

 _ **Chapter 11**_

Kate and Alexis are standing in the hallway of the hospital, just outside of Castle's room, when they hear a ding of the elevator. They both turn to look and see that Martha is getting off the elevator. Martha leisurely walks down the hallway to where the two girls are standing. "Hello, darlings."

Alexis kisses Martha on the cheek. "Hi gram."

"What are the two of you doing standing out here?"

Kate gives Martha a warm hug. "The nurse sent us out here. She said that they were going to run some tests."

"What kind of tests?"

"I don't know. She didn't say, but Alexis and I weren't about to question the nurse and tell her how to do her job. We'll leave it up to the professionals."

Martha nods in agreement. "But, what kind of tests could they be running? Is he awake?"

"Yes. Castle is awake. He woke up earlier this morning. I was left a message by the hospital saying he had woken up. I was going to ask you if you wanted to come here with myself and Alexis, but I couldn't find you at home. Did you go out somewhere?"

"Oh, yes. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to go somewhere to clear my head, take some 'me' time."

"Of course. I think we could all use one of those from time to time. Where did you end up going?"

Martha takes a breath. "Well, I was going to go to my acting studio, but I just wasn't into it. So, I ended up going down to Central Park."

"That's a nice big park to take a walk in to clear your mind. I used to like going running there."

The door to Castle's room opens and the nurse walks out. "All set. You may go back in there now. Remember, only two visitors at a time."

Kate thanks the nurse and the nurse walks away. "Martha, Alexis. You two can go ahead. I'll stay out here and call my dad. I'll tell him that Castle is awake and arrange some time for us to go up to the cabin."

Martha is confused. She looks between her granddaughter and her daughter in-law. Alexis answers Martha's confused look. "Kate is taking dad up to Jim's cabin to recover. Mom gave dad the option and he decided to take it."

"Oh, ok." Martha pauses for a moment. "Wait. Did you just say mom?"

Alexis chuckles. "Yeah, I did. I called her mom for the first time, last night."

Martha turns to Kate. "How do you feel about that, darling?"

Kate smiles, "I actually enjoyed it. It took me by surprise, sure, but it felt nice."

"That's wonderful Katherine. Now, if you excuse me, I would like to see my son."

"Of course, Martha. Go right on in. I'll just be out here calling my dad."

Alexis gives Kate a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you in a bit."

Kate smiles at her… daughter? Yes, daughter. She likes the sound of that, not her stepdaughter. She smiles at her daughter and pulls out her phone to call her dad, Jim Beckett.

The phone rings three times. _"Hello?"_

"Hi dad."

" _Hi Katie. How are you?"_

"I'm fine dad. Thank you. I'm just calling to let you know that Castle is awake. Martha and Alexis are with him right now."

" _That's great news sweetie. I'll be down there later today. I have a case I'm working on."_

"It's fine dad. Take your time. There's no rush." Kate pauses a little scared to ask her dad for permission to use the cabin. "Hey, dad?"

" _Yeah sweetie."_

"Um, would it be ok if Castle and I spent some time up at the cabin? Castle said he wants to get out of the city to recover from all of this."

" _Absolutely, Katie. It's not just my cabin. It's still yours too. It's our family cabin and you are most definitely family. And Rick is now family too."_

Kate smiles, even though her dad can't see it. "Great, thanks dad. I'll let you get back to work."

" _Ok. I'll talk to you later. And let Rick know I'll be by later to see him."_

"I will dad. Love you."

" _Love you too, Katie."_

Kate ends the call just as another nurse was walking up. It was the nurse that was in the room when she and Alexis first arrived at the hospital. Kate asks the nurse, "are you going in there to see my husband?"

"Yes ma'am."

Kate is getting very worried. "There was a nurse who just went in there about 10 minutes ago. She said that she needed to run some tests."

"Which nurse? Do you remember her name?"

"No, I'm sorry. I don't remember a name. But she was about my height, without heels, light brown hair, physically fit."

The nurse shakes her head. "I'm sorry Mrs. Castle, but I don't know who you're talking about. None of our nurses fit that description."

Kate is really scared now. "Ok, will you do me a favor? Will you run any tests to find out if that person tampered with any of my husband's vitals or injected him with something?"

"I'm not really supposed to unless a doctor orders it, but since you described someone who is most likely not on our staff, and your husband's life may be in danger, I'll do what I can."

Kate lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'm going to call my teammates at the police station and see if I can find anything on the imposter."

Kate was still holding her phone in her hand when Martha and Alexis come out of Castle's room. Martha is worried. "Katherine, what's going on? Another nurse just went in there."

Kate nods. "I know. The one who just went in there was the same one that was here when Alexis and I arrived. The one who said that she needed to run tests, myself, nor that nurse knows who it is."

Alexis and Martha gasp. Martha is speechless. "So, mom, what does that mean?"

"I'm going to try and figure that out right now, sweetie. The one who interrupted us earlier, is most likely an imposter. I'm going to call the boys and tell them that I'll meet them at the precinct. Hopefully, we can find out who it is based on my description of her."

Martha is trying to process all of this. "So, there really is someone out there who is after Richard?"

"I don't think so Martha. I think they're just using Castle to get to me. I'm the one they were after. I'm the one they were aiming for." Kate puts a hand on Martha's shoulder to try and calm her. "Look, Martha. I'm going to figure this out. I'll call anybody who can help me with this. But, first, I need to start with my team, because I know I can trust them."

"Go, darling. Do what you need to do. Make sure that both you and Richard are safe."

Kate pulls up Ryan's number on her phone to call him as she heads down the hall for the elevator. The phone gets picked up after two rings. "Hey Ryan. I need your help along with Espo's." Kate gets on the elevator and looks down the hall toward her family when the doors shut.

 **To Be Continued**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't thank you enough for all the support you have given me through this story. I can't believe I've been able to write over 10 chapters for a story. I do intend on finishing this story. How long will it be? I don't know. As long as people are enjoying it, I'll keep writing it until I feel like it's time to end it. When I first started writing FanFiction, I thought I would only be able to write on-shots. Now, here I am writing my second multi-chapter story. And it's all because of you, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.**

 _ **Chapter 12**_

Kate gets off the elevator onto homicide floor. She walks over to where Ryan and Esposito are standing. Without stopping her walk, "Guys, conference room. Now." She points in the direction of the conference room and the boys follow.

Being the last one to enter the conference room, Ryan closes the door behind him. "What's up, Beckett?"

Kate lets out a long sigh. "Look, guys… have a seat." The boys take a seat and Kate continues. "I know you're working on the case to find out who the shooter was. But, what I'm about to tell you, I think is in a connection to the shooting. I don't know how, but I feel like it's connected."

Esposito gives Kate a quizzical look. "Ok. What is it?"

"Well, this morning, Alexis and I went to go see Castle. Oh, which, by the way, he's awake." Kate shakes her head to get her thoughts back on track. "Anyway, when Alexis and I got there, there was a nurse checking on Castle. While she and I were visiting him, and keeping him company, while he was sleeping, another nurse came in to say that she needed to run tests… However, I don't think that nurse who was running tests, was actually a nurse."

"Hold up. You're saying that someone was posing as a nurse to get to Castle?"

"I don't know Espo. I think whoever that person was, was trying to do something to my husband to try and get to me, since I was, and still am, the intended target."

Ryan wants to try and get the story straight before he heads out on a mission. "Ok, so what you're saying, is that someone dressed up like a nurse to sneak into Castle's room to do, what, exactly? So, you think that whoever was behind the shooting wants to take Castle out or take him down to get to you?"

"Yes, exactly. Whoever it is that's behind all of this wants to get rid of me. But, I don't think they anticipated Castle getting in the way. So, in order for them get to me, they need to get Castle out of the way first, so I'm an easier target."

"Alright, I'll get started on working some of my magic. I'm just going to need a description of the person you saw who was posing as a nurse."

"Of course. I'll meet you at your desk in a second." Ryan gets up from the chair he was sitting in and heads out to his desk. Kate watches Ryan leave and then turns to Esposito. "Espo, I need you to continue looking at the shooting. If we split up the tasks, maybe we'll have a better chance in finding a connection and finding out who's behind all of this."

"You got it, Beckett." Esposito gets up from his chair. "Oh, by the way, I'm glad Castle is ok. He's become like a brother to us, even before the two of you were married."

Kate gives him a small smile. "Thanks, Espo. I'm glad he's ok too. Now, let's get to work."

Kate and Esposito exit the conference room. Espo walks over to his desk to make some phone calls to find out what's happening regarding the shooting. Kate walks over to Ryan's desk to talk to him about the lady who was posing as a nurse.

"Hey, Beckett. I'm going to see what I could do. I can do searches based on the description you give me, but I'm thinking it almost might be easier if we went to a sketch artist or something. Then maybe we can do a facial recognition."

"You're probably right, Ryan. But, right now, I don't know who else is behind this or how many people are involved. So, what I need right now is to work with the people I know I can trust. You and Espo are the only two I can trust right now, other than Lanie."

"Ok, you got it. Where would you like to start?"

"Do you mind if I close my eyes? It might help me picture her and give you a better description."

"Sure, whatever you need to do."

Kate smiles at Ryan. "Thanks." She sits down on the edge of Ryan's desk and closes her eyes to get an image in her head about the lady who was acting as a nurse. "Ok, she looks like she could be in her late 20s to early 30s. She's about 5 feet 9 inches tall. She had light brown hair that stopped just below her shoulders. She has an athletic build."

"Ok. Did you get the color of her eyes?"

Kate still has her eyes closed but can't remember. She furrows her eyebrows to concentrate. Hopefully it will trigger something. "Brown. She had brown eyes. When she came into the room there was slight fear behind them, but I didn't think anything of it at the time."

"Alright, go on. Was there any particular way she walked or how she moved?"

"No. Her walk was normal. There was no limp or anything." Kate stops to think about something else that could be useful. "Her voice. It wasn't high pitched, but if you know music and vocal ranges, she had a mezzo-soprano voice. And she had an accent. It was a slight accent, but she still had one. It sounded like it was a European accent, of some kind."

"Good. This we might be able to work with. It might take me a little while to go through some of the searches, but I'll let you know if, and when I have something."

Kate opens her eyes to look at Ryan. "Great, thanks Ryan. I'll go check on Espo to see if he has anything new." Ryan nods as Kate gets up from sitting on the edge of his desk. Kate walks across the bullpen to Esposito's desk. "Hey Espo, you find anything yet?"

Esposito shakes his head. "No. I called CSU, but they haven't found anything new. All we know was that it was a sniper rifle. Other than that, we don't know much, if anything. The weapon was wiped clean and there was no trace of the shooter there, other than the rifle being left behind."

"Alright. You keep working on that, while Ryan works on getting a search on our mystery nurse. I'm going to head back to the hospital to see if Castle can tell me anything about her."

"You got it, boss. Let Castle know we said hi and that we hope he gets better soon."

"I will." Kate calls across the bullpen to Ryan. "Hey, Ryan!" Ryan turns around in his chair to look at Kate. "Call me if you find anything." Ryan gives her a thumb's up, then she heads for the elevator. It's time for her to go back to the hospital to see what her husband knows. She hopes that Castle is awake and can remember what happened.

Kate arrives back at the hospital 20 minutes later. She gets off on Castle's floor and is walking by the waiting room when two red-heads catch her eye. She turns to look and sees that Martha and Alexis are sitting in the waiting room. She walks over to them. "Hey. What are you two doing out here?"

Alexis stands up from her chair to give Kate a hug. "They're still running tests on dad. Real ones this time. Last we heard he was awake and that he was asking for us, more specifically, you."

Kate gives Alexis a nod. "Ok, I'll go in and see what's going on. Hopefully I won't get in the nurse's way. I'm hoping he'll still be awake when I get in there. I need to ask him some questions about that nurse. Maybe, with his help we'll be able to figure all of this out."

Both Martha and Alexis give Kate a nod. Kate turns around and heads towards Castle's room. When she gets there, the nurse comes out of the room with a sad look on her face. "Mrs. Castle?"

Kate looks worriedly at the nurse. "Yes? What's wrong with my husband?"

"We're getting the test results ran right now. We're hoping to get an answer ASAP. But, from what I can see, it's not looking good."

"What do you mean?" Kate starts to panic.

The nurse stays as calm as possible. "Your husband seems to be getting weaker. The tests that we're running are blood tests and a tox screen. We're getting those tests rushed." The nurse takes a breath. "It does appear that Mr. Castle's heart rate is slowing, and we don't know why. I think it could be something that the imposing nurse gave him. But, we won't know anything until we get the test results back."

"What?! I need to get in there to be with my husband."

The nurse, Rose, gave Kate a nod. "Of course, Mrs. Castle. Go right on in."

Kate rushes into the room very worried about her husband. She didn't even think about letting Martha and Alexis know what's going. She went straight to Castle to hold his hand and to give him a kiss. "Hi, babe."

Castle looks more tired now than he did when Kate had left him. He looks into Kate's eyes and he can see the worry written all over her face. "Kate? Honey, what's wrong?"

Kate gets tears in her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I don't know, babe. Nurse Rose is running tests to find out what's going on." Kate pauses to see if Castle will say anything else. When he doesn't she goes on. "Castle, if you're up to it, I'd like to ask you a few questions about the other nurse that was in here."

Castle furrows his brow. "There was another nurse in here?"

"Yes. She came in while Alexis and I were visiting with you. You had just woken up from a little nap. I came back in here after making the call to Gina."

Castle has to think about it for a minute. "Oh, right her. She freaked me out a little bit."

"What do you mean? How did she freak you out?"

"Well…" Castle feels like he's running out of breath. So, he takes his time getting the words out. "She seemed nice, on the outside…" He needs to even out his breathing. "But, her eyes said something else."

Kate senses that he's having a hard time breathing. "Castle? Rick, are you ok?"

Castle looks into Kate's eyes with a scared look in his. He just shakes his head and his eyes start to close. Before he closes his eyes shut he says one last thing, "She told me not to worry. That I wouldn't feel a thing."

Kate squeezes Castle's hand. She needs more information. "What? What did she give you?" When Castle doesn't answer and the grip he had on Kate's hand goes slack, she looks over to the heart monitor and sees that it's nearly flatlined. In a panic, not wanting to lose her husband, she reaches the call button to get Nurse Rose back into the room.

Nurse Rose, along with two other nurses and a doctor rush into the room to try and safe Castle's life. Kate needed to get out of the way, so the medical professionals can do their job in saving her husband's life. Kate has tears rolling down her face, which she cannot control. She can no longer watch what's happening, so she steps outside into the hallway, not wanting to go too far, in case they need her.

Kate was standing in the hallway, just outside of Castle's room, for what seemed like forever. The door opens, and Nurse Rose comes out. "Mrs. Castle?"

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: I do apologize for leaving, yet, another cliffhanger, but I'm hoping it will keep the readers intrigued. I also didn't want the chapter to get too long, especially when I have ideas on the brain. In case you were wondering, Nurse Rose is sort of made up. I actually decided to borrow her from another ABC show, "Grey's Anatomy"._


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here we are with another chapter. This story will keep going as long as I keep coming up with ideas, on top of the ones I already had for this one. I am truly, very sorry for such a late update. I had this chapter typed up and ready to be published, but Thanksgiving came, then I started working A LOT of overtime at work. 10+ hours a day, 6-7 days a week. I will have more for you, but unfortunately there won't be another chapter published until the New Year, I am very sorry. Just hang in there with me. Thanks for the understanding.**

 _ **Chapter 13**_

" _Mrs. Castle?"_

Kate thinks her heart stopped when she heard the words come out of Nurse Rose's mouth. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. It was as if the whole world stopped. Was she dreaming or was this really happening? Did she just lose her whole world? Did she just lose the love of her life? "No! God, please, no!"

"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Castle."

Kate leans up against the wall. "Are you sure? Please, go back in there and bring my husband back."

"I'm sorry. We're still waiting on the results to find out what the cause was." Kate just nods to Nurse Rose. "You can go in and be with him while we wait for the results." Nurse Rose pauses to give Kate a moment. "Do you want to tell the rest of your family, or would you like me to do it?"

"Would you do it, please? I know I should probably do it, but I feel the need to be with him right now."

Nurse Rose nods, "of course, Mrs. Castle. Take all the time you need."

The other two nurses exit the room followed by the doctor. Once the nurses and doctor leave the room, Kate slowly walks in. The room was silent. Too silent. The machines had been turned off. It was too silent for Kate's liking. She just walks over to the chair next to Castle's bed and pushes it aside. She holds his hand while she runs her fingers through his hair.

Tears just flow down Kate's face. She can't believe this is all happening. She so desperately wants to find out who did this to her and her family, but she doesn't have the strength to do it. They had been married for only two months. She was looking forward to spending the rest of her life with him. They would eventually add to their family and have a baby of their own. They would grow old together, retire together. "Rick." She barely got his name to come out of her mouth.

She bends down to give him a kiss to his lips hoping he would kiss back, but he doesn't. His lips are still warm, but he has lost all color to his face. "What happened, Rick? You can't leave me. We were supposed to have a future together. Please, don't leave me. I need you, more than you know." She leans down to put her forehead against his temple when the door opens.

Martha and Alexis come into the room and see the sight before them. Both of them didn't want to believe it, but once they saw what was there in front of them, they both break down. Alexis runs over to her dad on the opposite side of Kate. "Daddy! No! Please come back! You can't leave us alone!"

Martha has stood frozen just inside the door. She can't imagine her life without her son, her only child. He wasn't the one who was supposed to go first. No parent should outlive their child. No parent should have to go through the pain of losing a child. Martha places a hand over her mouth, in utter disbelief. "Oh, Richard." She finds her footing and walks slowly over to the bed to stand next to Kate. She is standing at his feet. She places one of her hands on his legs.

The three most important women in Castle's life just stand by his side crying. What will the three of them do without the most important man in their lives? Kate hears the door open and turns to see that it's Nurse Rose. Kate steps away from the bed to speak with her. Kate wipes away her tears before speaking. "What did you find?"

Nurse Rose lets out a sigh. "Nothing."

"Nothing?!" Kate shouted, which got the attention of Martha and Alexis. "What do you mean, 'nothing'?"

"We got the test results back. There was nothing found in his system. If that con of a nurse did something to your husband, it is untraceable. If she didn't do anything, then this was of natural causes."

Kate shakes her head. "No, before he… flatlined… he said that she had told him that he wouldn't feel a thing."

"Hmm, then she must have given him something that is untraceable."

Kate thinks about something. Her tears have finally stopped. "Could there be something that is, seemingly untraceable to make it seem like he really died? For example, staging a death? Maybe that he'll be able to wake up after a few hours or something?"

"That is possible. It's not very common though."

"Thank you." Kate turns to her mother in-law and her daughter. "Will you stay with him? I need to go back to the precinct. Maybe I can figure out what's going on, but I need the boys' help. Stay here, in case, by some miracle, he wakes up."

Martha squeezes Kate's shoulder. "Go, darling. We'll be fine."

Kate gives a kiss on the cheek to both women. "Ok. I'll keep you updated. Will you keep me updated?"

"Yes, mom. Of course, we will. Now go kick some butt." Alexis gives Kate another peck on the cheek.

"Ok. I love you both." Kate turns to walk out the door. Walking down the hallway toward the elevator she pulls out her phone to call Ryan. "Ryan, I'm on my way in."

Kate stops by a coffee shop to pick up some coffee for herself and the boys. They're going to be working hard on this case. They'll need a little pick me up. She returns to the 12th with a carrier with 3 coffee cups on it. "Here you go boys. I brought some coffee." Kate is not acting happy, but she isn't completely somber either. She has this feeling that her husband will wake up in a number of hours, if not tomorrow.

Esposito walks over to Kate's desk where she ended up with the coffee. "You brought us coffee, Beckett?"

"Yes. I don't know if I exactly have a lead, but hopefully we'll have something to work on." Kate lets out a small sigh. "But, first, I need to have a word with both of you in private."

Ryan points in the direction of the conference room. "Conference room? Or somewhere else?"

"Conference room is good, Ryan. We'll close the blinds when we get in there."

Esposito is a little confused. "Uh, Beckett. I love you, but not like that. You're like a sister to me."

Kate slaps Esposito on the arm. "Not like that Javi. Get your head out of the gutter. That's what you have Lanie for."

Ryan looks at Esposito and smirks. "She got you there Javi."

Kate sets her cup down on her desk and claps her hands together. "Ok, guys. Can we focus, please?" The three of them take their coffee into the conference room. Esposito closes the door while Ryan and Kate close the blinds. "Alright boys, have a seat."

Kate takes a seat in one of the chairs around the table. She sets her coffee cup down and clasps her hands together. "Ok, so something came up. The test results came back, but they didn't find anything."

Ryan interrupts Kate before she can say any more. "Well, that's a good thing, right? If they didn't find anything, maybe our imposter didn't do anything to him. Maybe she was just trying to scare you."

Kate gives a small shake of her head. "No, Ryan. She did do something. She gave Castle something that was seemingly untraceable." She lets out a long sigh and drops her chin to her chest. "She gave him something the caused his heart to stop."

Ryan and Esposito look at Kate in shock and at the same time, "What?"

"His heart didn't stop right away. It was as if it was a slow death. To torture him and the rest of us in some way."

"So, she killed him?" Esposito asked.

"That's what they want us to believe. I think they're faking his death. As of right now, yes, he's dead, because his heart stopped. But, he'll wake up in a couple of hours. Kind of like in _Romeo and Juliet_. I'm thinking they wanted him out long enough to get to me. So, we need to find out what can cause that."

"Ok, well, then let's get to work." He pauses before he stands up. "Wait, was there anything more?"

"Well, Castle almost didn't remember her. I had to jog his memory. When he finally remembered, he said that she had told him that he wouldn't feel a thing." She takes a sip of her coffee, but it wasn't the same as when Castle makes it or gets it for her. "He also did say that she freaked him out. He said it was something about her eyes. He couldn't tell me anything more before his heart stopped."

After Ryan sips his coffee he chimes in on the conversation. "Well, that doesn't help us with the mystery woman, but at least we can try to find out what she possibly could have given him. I'm still running the search on our woman, but I haven't been able to find anything yet. I thought it would be easier, considering she has an accent, but apparently there are a number of women in the tristate area that have European accents that fit this woman's description."

"Well, we will eventually narrow it down. In the mean time, let's figure out whatever it is she gave him. Maybe, whoever bought or made it, we can smoke them out." The boys stand up from the table. "Guys? Make sure this stays between us. If we need any medical help, I'll call Lanie. In fact, I'll call Lanie right now, while the two of you get started on some research."

The boys both nod at Kate and they exit the conference room to do what their leader says. After the boys have left the room, Kate takes another sip of her coffee, which is now getting cold, and pulls out her phone.

Lanie answers the phone almost immediately. _"Hey girl. How's our writer boy doing?"_

"Do you have some free time Lanie?"

" _Sure, sweetie. What's going on?"_

"It's better I tell you in person. I'll be right down."

" _Ok. But, is everything alright? You don't sound ok."_

"Let's just say I've been better. I'll tell you more when I meet up with you."

" _Ok, see you in a bit."_

Kate ends the call and finishes her coffee. She leaves the conference room and throws her cup away. She walks over to where the boys are working. "Hey, guys, I'm on my way down to see Lanie. I'm going to tell her what's going on and maybe she can shed some light on this." The two detectives give Kate a nod and get back to their work. Kate walks to the elevator to head down to the morgue to see her best friend, other than Castle.

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: Have no fear. I will not kill off Castle. I would never do such a thing. Please be patient with me as the next chapter won't get published until the New Year. See you all then._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm back! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. I am sorry it took so long to get this new chapter to you. I have been doing A LOT of over time during this holiday season, so I haven't had a chance to sit down and write. I have missed being able to write for all of you. Now, it's a new year and hopefully my over time days are behind me. I can get some much needed rest and get back into writing.**

 _ **Chapter 14**_

Kate walks into the morgue and is greeted by Lanie. "Hey, sweeetie."

"Hey, Lanie." Kate walks over to Lanie, who is sitting at her desk.

"What's going on? Is everything ok? You sounded a bit strange on the phone. You don't look all that happy either."

Kate takes a seat on a stool next to Lanie's desk. "I've been better. We can talk about how I'm feeling later. But, right now, I need your help."

"Sure, anything for my best friend. How's writer boy doing?"

Kate takes a deep breath and sighs. "Uh, he could be better. But, that's what I need your help with."

"Ok, what can I do to help?"

"Well," Kate hesitates trying to figure out how to say what she needs to say to Lanie. "Um, I don't know how to put this."

"Kate, just say what's on your mind. I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything. You said you needed my help. So, I'm here to help."

Kate takes a deep breath. "Lanie, is there any kind of poison or something that can mimic death?"

Lanie looks at Kate with a scared and confused look on her face. "Uh... Why? Are you planning something? Katherine Beckett Castle, you better not be planning anything stupid! You're a cop, you should know better."

"No, Lanie, relax. It's not for me. I'm not planning anything. I just want to know, because…"

Lanie interrupts Kate, "OH MY GOD! Something happened to writer boy!"

"Lanie, will you please calm down. I'm trying to figure out what happened to my husband. There was an imposter of a nurse, who gave Castle something."

Lanie is putting the pieces together. "And whatever it was, is mimicking death."

"Exactly. He was hooked up to a monitor, and the monitor wasn't picking up anything. The nurse and doctor even checked for a pulse, and they couldn't find anything. His nurse even told me they couldn't find anything in his blood tests."

"Right, with all the new fancy equipment these days, even the slightest bit of a pulse would have been picked up by the monitor. What if she messed with the monitor too?"

Kate rubs her hand over her face. "Lanie, can we focus on one question at a time please? I hadn't even thought about her messing with the machines. Can we get back to that thought later? Can we focus on a drug or poison or something that could have done this?"

"Sorry. Ok, you're right, let's focus on one thing at a time. First of all, how long has been 'dead'?"

Kate looks at her watch. "About an hour. With as much time that has gone by, his brain would be deprived of oxygen."

Lanie gets up from her desk and paces around the morgue to think. "There is a poison called Tetrodotoxin. It's usually found in pufferfish. It could be more poisonous than cyanide."

"How does it affect the body?"

"Basically, Tetrodotoxin is a neurotoxin. It essentially cuts off signals from the brain to the rest of the body. It paralyzes voluntary muscles, which includes the diaphragm."

"Oh my god, Lanie! That could be it!"

"Your imposter of a nurse had to have given him other things too. But, it would be hard to tell, since they didn't find anything in his test results."

Kate quickly stands up from the stool she was sitting on. "I need to get back to the hospital. I need to talk to Castle's doctor and his actual nurse." Kate gives Lanie a quick hug. "Thanks, Lanie."

"Any time sweetie. Let me know how everything goes."

Kate calls back to Lanie just as she walks out into the hallway outside of the morgue. "I will."

Kate returns to the hospital in record time. She is in search of Nurse Rose and finds her at the nurses' station that is located down the hall from Castle's room. When Kate reaches the desk, she is out of breath. She wants to speak, but she is trying to catch her breath.

"Mrs. Castle, are you alright?" Kate just gives Rose a nod. "Would you like some water?"

Kate shakes her head. When she has her breathing under control she finally speaks. "Tetrodotoxin."

Rose's eyes go wide. "What?"

"Is it possible that my husband was poisoned with Tetrodotoxin?"

Nurse Rose quickly walks around the nurses' desk to stand next to Kate. "Yes, it is very possible. Let me get the doctor and we'll get to work right away."

"My doctor friend told me that my husband could have also been injected with some other things."

Rose nods. "The doctor and I will get right on it Mrs. Castle. Might I suggest you sit with your mother in-law and your daughter in the waiting room while the doctor and I work?"

"Thank you. Are Martha and Alexis already in there?"

"Last time I checked, they were sitting there, yes."

"Great. Thanks."

Nurse Rose walks away to get the doctor and to save Castle's life. After the nurse walks away, Kate heads for the waiting room to be with her family.

When Kate walks into the waiting room, Alexis jumps up from her seat and runs over to Kate. "Mom!"

Kate wraps Alexis in a hug. "Hi sweetie. How are you and Martha holding up?"

"We're doing ok. We're just being impatient."

"I know the feeling. I'm getting pretty impatient myself. Keeping myself busy with work is helping a little."

Alexis and Kate take their seats near Martha. Martha looks up from her magazine to greet Kate. "Hello, darling."

"Hi, Martha. Keeping yourself busy with a magazine?"

"I'm trying to. I think I've read the same paragraph about 20 times."

"Hard to stay focused, I bet." Martha just nods. "Speaking of being focused, I need to make a call to the boys down at the precinct. Would you excuse me?" Alexis and Martha nod as Kate gets up from her chair to walk to the corner of the room to call Ryan and Esposito.

The phone rings a few times before someone on the other end picks up the phone. _"Ryan."_

"Hey, Ryan. It's Beckett."

" _Hey, Beckett. What's up?"_

"I just wanted to see how you guys were doing on finding out who our imposter is. Have you found anything new regarding the case?"

" _CSU may have found something, so Javi just went to speak with them. I'm still stuck on finding out who the nurse was. I might have a better chance of tracking her down if Javi comes back with something useful."_

"Alright. Keep working and give me a call if you find something, no matter how small it may seem. Any little thing we can get will help, at this point."

" _Will do. Oh, hey. Did you talk to Lanie?"_

"Yeah. She figured that the poison that could have been used is called Tetrodotoxin."

" _In English, please."_

Kate lets out a little chuckle. "It's a poison usually found in pufferfish. It's a neurotoxin."

" _Ah, so it was a poison to cut off a signal from Castle's brain to the rest of his body."_

"Basically, yes."

" _Well, at least that's something. Now you just let them help Castle."_

"Yes. I've been back at the hospital for a while. I'm just in the waiting room with Martha and Alexis. Just giving the doctors and nurses their space to save my husband."

" _Give Martha and Alexis my best and I'll call you when we have something."_

"Thanks, Ryan."

Kate hangs up the phone and walks back to where her family is sitting. She takes a seat next to Alexis. Alexis reaches for Kate's hand. "Did the detectives find anything?"

Kate gives Alexis' hand a squeeze. "No, not yet. They're still working on it. Detective Esposito had just gone to talk to CSU when I called. So, maybe he'll have something soon."

Alexis rests her head on Kate's shoulder. Kate releases her grasp on Alexis' hand to wrap an arm around her. "How are you holding up kiddo?"

Alexis shrugs. "I don't know. I guess I'm hanging in there. Too many emotions and thoughts going through me. I don't know what to think or feel right now. One thing is for sure, I just want my dad back."

Kate kisses Alexis' head. "I know how you feel, bud. I want him back too. Hopefully, we'll be getting him back soon."

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: I understand that I'm not 100% accurate when it comes to medical things, but I do want it to be as close as possible. This is fiction after all. As I was writing this chapter, I kept thinking about that zombie episode during Season 4. When it comes to imaginations and fiction, I like to believe anything is possible._


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: My sincerest apologies for such a long wait in getting this chapter up. In the middle of writing this chapter I got a case of writer's block. So, I tried writing another story for another show, to see if it would help with my writing. It only helped a little. So, I also apologize if this chapter seems short. I hope you like it.**

 **Chapter 15**

Alexis is comfortable being tucked under Kate's arm and using Kate's shoulder as a pillow. Alexis dozes off while they're waiting for any news on Castle. Kate closes her eyes and starts to doze off when her phone vibrates in her pocket. Trying not to wake Alexis up, Kate carefully takes the phone out of her pocket to see who is calling. When she pulls her phone out she looks at the screen and sees that Esposito is calling.

"Hey Espo. What's up?"

" _Hey, Beckett. How are things at the hospital?"_

"I asked first."

Esposito takes a breath. _"We may have something, Beckett. Are you able to come down to the precinct for a little while?"_

Kate looks around the waiting room. She doesn't know what to do. She wants to stay with her family and wait on news about her husband, but she also wants to know what Ryan and Esposito found. "Can't you tell me over the phone?"

" _Are you sure, Beckett?"_

"Yes. I, honestly, would rather be here with my family right now. We're still waiting to hear from the doctor and I don't want to miss it." Kate takes a deep breath. "What do you have Espo?"

" _I went down to speak with CSU when you were talking with Ryan earlier. They had told me they might have found something."_

Kate interrupts Esposito. "Get to the point Javi."

" _Right. CSU told me that they had combed through more of the cemetery, not just where they found the rifle."_

"And? What did CSU find?"

" _They found some footprints left in the grass."_

"Javi, do you know how many people visit the cemetery? Those footprints could have been left by anybody."

" _That's what I was thinking too. But, they had found something else. They found a glove."_

"A glove? As in one, single, glove?"

" _Yes. I had a theory that it had fallen out of a bag the shooter was carrying. A bag that they would have brought the rifle in."_

Kate carefully removes herself from Alexis and slowly gets up from her chair to walk to the corner of the room. "Ok, did they run prints?"

" _Of course. They found a match."_

Kate's heart starts beating faster. This could be it. This could lead her to solve the case and take down the person that shot her husband. "Ok. Who is it?"

" _The prints belong to a man by the name of Cole Maddox."_

"Cole Maddox? Any information on him?"

" _We're still looking into it. All we know is that he has a clean record and he's in his early 30s. We'll let you know when we know more."_

"Ok, great. Thanks, Espo."

Kate walks back to the chairs where Alexis and Martha are sitting. Kate takes her seat next to, a still sleeping, Alexis. Once Kate sits back down, Martha looks at Kate with curiosity. "So, what happened, darling? What did they find?"

"They found some footprints and a single glove. The glove had some prints on the inside and there was a match. It was a match to a man named Cole Maddox."

"That's all they know right now, isn't it?"

"Well, they know that Cole Maddox is in his 30s and that he has a clean record. But, that's all they know for now. Sorry, Martha."

"It's all right, dear. At least they have something to work with now."

Kate nods and reaches for Martha's hand. "That is true. Now, we let them do their jobs while we wait for news on my husband, your son."

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: I do apologize for this being such a short chapter. I do want to get this story moving forward. I'm working on it, when I don't have writer's block._


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Welcome back for another chapter. I am sorry for the delays in uploading new chapters. I am not getting them written and uploaded as fast as I would like. I have had a creative block so now I'm trying to find my rhythm again. I'm getting closer to being back on track. It might just take a little bit more time, so bear with me.**

Back at the precinct, while waiting for news on Castle, Detectives Ryan and Esposito are doing some digging into a possible suspect. The fingerprints found in the glove, retrieved by CSU, were a match to a Cole Maddox. Neither Ryan, nor Esposito had ever heard of him. Both detectives sat at their own desks, across from each other, doing their own research.

Ryan looks up from his computer, "Hey Javi? Have you found anything yet?"

Esposito doesn't look up from his computer, "Nah, I'm still searching bro."

Detective Ryan looks back down at his computer and checks the time. They've been doing some digging for almost an hour and haven't been able to find anything yet. He decides to get up from his desk and head to the break room for a cup of coffee. He walks passed Esposito's desk, "Would you like some coffee?"

Javier, briefly, looks up at Ryan, "Sure, thanks." Ryan walks away from Esposito's desk, but before Ryan can enter the break room Esposito calls for Ryan. "Ryan! I think I got something."

Ryan immediately turns back around heading for his partner's desk. "What have you got?"

Esposito is scrolling through his computer. "It looks like Cole Maddox is ex-military. It says here he was a sniper."

"Sniper? Ex-military?"

"Yeah. An Army sniper. He did 2 tours overseas before he was discharged." Javier scrolls through more. "It doesn't look like he was wounded or anything. Maybe he just finished his tours and never signed again."

"Wow. Do you think the rifle he used was his from his military days?"

"Not a clue. I actually haven't seen the rifle, so I don't know."

"Alright, what else did you find?" Esposito scrolls through his search to see what else there is to find. One name catches his attention, which causes him to tense up. Ryan can sense the tension. "What is it Javi? What else did you find?"

Esposito has to clear his throat, even though there is nothing to clear, just so he can wrap his head around what he just saw. "Uh… Bracken."

Detective Ryan gets tense when he hears the name Bracken. "What about Senator Bracken?"

"This guy, Maddox, has worked for Bracken. Maybe, not directly, but it says here that Cole Maddox has helped with Senator Bracken's campaign."

"What?! Which campaign?"

"It looks like it was for when he was running for Senator. We don't know if Maddox will be helping Senator Bracken for presidency."

"This can't be good. We can't tell Beckett. She'll dive head first into this, especially when the name 'Bracken' comes up. Javi, she has a family now. We can't let her throw it away."

Esposito turns in his chair to look up at his partner. "I understand what you're saying, bro. But, we have to tell Beckett what we've found. I am afraid that she's going to dive head first into this too, but she has a right to know. She will decide how she wants to approach this."

Ryan takes a breath. "Ok, so who is going to tell her?"

Javier leans back in his chair and thinks about it for a moment. "I think we should both tell her. Come on. Into the conference room. We'll put her on speaker and we'll tell her together."

Ryan walks to the conference room and Esposito follows. Once in the conference room Ryan closes the door, while Javier closes the blinds. Once everything has been closed and they've given themselves some privacy, they sit down at the table. Ryan pulls his phone out of his pocket to call Beckett.

The phone rings twice before Beckett answers the call. _"Beckett."_

"Hey Beckett. Espo is here with me. We've got you on speaker."

" _Ok. What's up? Have you found anything more on Cole Maddox?"_

"Actually, yes. As a matter of fact, that's why we're calling."

" _What did you find?"_

Esposito starts in on what he's found. "Hey, Beckett. I was looking into Maddox and found that he used to be in the military."

" _Ex-military?"_

"Yeah. He…"

Kate cuts him off. _"Hey, Espo. The nurse just walked in. She probably has an update on Castle. Can I call you right back?"_

"Of course, no problem. Let us know how it goes."

" _I will. I promise."_ With that, Kate hangs up the phone.

Ryan and Esposito look at each other. Neither one of them knows what to say. They just sit in silence in the conference room.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Kate has just gotten off the phone with Ryan and Esposito. She puts her phone away and gently wakes Alexis up. Nurse Rose has just come out to the waiting room to inform them of Castle's condition. "Alexis, sweetie. Wake up. The nurse is here."

Alexis pops her head up, anxious to hear what the nurse has to say. "So? How's my dad? Is he ok?"

In a soothing tone, Nurse Rose answers. "Relax Miss Castle. Your father is fine." The 3 women in Castle's life let out a sigh of relief and they all embrace each other in a group hug. "Just be aware that he might still be out of it. He probably won't have any memory of what happened, so don't be alarmed if there is something he doesn't remember during that time.

Kate unwraps herself from the hug she had with her mother in-law and stepdaughter. She looks at the nurse, "thank you. Thank you for everything."

"It was my pleasure Mrs. Castle. I'm glad I could help."

Kate walks up to the nurse and shakes her hand. "Thank you. Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart. You've saved my husband's life. Or, at least brought him back to me. I don't know how I could ever thank you."

"No need to thank me. I was just doing what I was trained to do ma'am. The three of you are welcome to go see him now. Don't pressure him. He's been through a lot. Just give him some time."

"We will, thank you." Nurse Rose walks away and Kate turns to her family. "Ok, the nurse says we can go see him now. But, we have to be sure not to stress him out or pressure him in any way."

Martha reaches for Kate's hand. "Let's go, darlings. I'm ready to see my son."

Alexis links her arm with Martha's. "Me too gram, me too. I want to give him the biggest hug."

The three of them walk down the hall toward Castle's room. The door is closed when they reach the room. Alexis pushes the door open to take a peak inside. She sees her dad in bed resting. She quietly walks into the room, so she doesn't startle him. She is followed by Martha and then Kate. Castle, hearing footsteps, turns his head toward the door to see the most important women in his life. When he sees all three women, he gets the biggest smile on his face. "Hey." His voice comes out a little raspy, since he hasn't used it in a while.

Without saying a word, Alexis practically pounces on top of Castle to give him the biggest hug she has ever given him, in her entire life. "Daddy! You're ok!"

Castle pats Alexis on the back. "Too tight Pumpkin."

Alexis releases her grip on her dad. "Oh, sorry. I love you, dad."

"It's ok Pumpkin. I love you too."

Alexis lets go of her dad and takes a step back. I'm going to give mom and gram a turn."

Martha steps up to give her son a kiss on the cheek and a big hug. "I love you darling. How are you my boy?"

Castle returns the hug as best as he can. "I love you too, mother. I'm doing pretty good. Can't really complain."

"Glad to hear, son." Martha gives Castle another peck on the cheek before giving Kate her turn.

Kate, however, is still standing near the door. She has been watching her family before her eyes. She thought she would never have this again. She thought she had lost everything. Castle looks from his mother over to where Kate is standing. "Kate? Honey, is everything ok?"

She can't believe this is happening. He's really here. He's alive and he's talking. She slowly makes her way to his bedside. She places a hand on his shoulder. She can feel that he's real. Kate can feel him breathing. Kate takes his face in both of her hands and places a long, passionate kiss on his lips. Kate releases him when she needs to come up for air. "Everything is just fine, babe. I just needed to soak this in. I needed to wrap my head around all of this."

Castle's brow furrows. "Around what, exactly?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. Just get your rest. Spend some time with Martha and Alexis. I need to make a phone call and I'll be right back to spend more time with my husband." She gives Castle another kiss on the lips. "I promise."

 **To Be Continued**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Welcome to another chapter. I really do apologize for such long breaks between chapters. I feel like I'm working overtime at work again. It just feels like myself and my coworkers are getting overworked. I do write when I can. I am still working on getting back on schedule with my writing. For those readers who want me to continue this story and don't want it to end, have no fear. This story is far from over.**

Kate walks out of Castle's hospital room in search of a more private place to make her phone call. She goes back out into the waiting room and stands in the corner where she took most of her phone calls, while waiting for news on Castle. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and looks for Ryan's number. Once his number has been found, she hits the call button.

After 3 rings, Ryan picks up the phone. _"Hey, Beckett. How's Castle doing?"_

"He's fine, Ryan. He's alive. That's all that matters right now. Thanks for asking. Anyway, is Esposito still with you?"

" _No, he just went into the break room to get us some coffee. Wait, here he comes."_

"Ok, am I on speaker?"

" _Not yet. Just give us a second."_ Ryan and Esposito take their coffees and walk back into the conference room, where they were earlier to talk to Beckett. Ryan puts the phone on speaker. _"Ok, Beckett. You're on speaker."_

"Alright. Javi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off before. What were you trying to tell me? Last thing I heard was that Maddox is ex-military."

Esposito takes a sip of his coffee before answering Beckett's question. _"Correct. Cole Maddox is ex-military. He was a sniper. He did 2 tours before he was discharged."_

"He was a sniper?"

" _Yeah. He was a sniper in the Army."_

Kate lets out a breath. "Ok, what else have you found?"

Ryan and Esposito look at each other not knowing who should tell her what else they had found. Ryan decides to step up and tell Kate about Bracken. Ryan clears his throat before speaking. _"Uh, are you sitting down? If you're not, you might want to be sitting down for this next part."_

"Just spit it out, Ryan."

" _Ok. He, uh… he helped with one of the campaigns for state Senate."_

Kate doesn't quite understand why Ryan would want her to be sitting down for that piece of information. "Ok. Whose campaign would he…" A lightbulb turns on in Kate's mind. "Wait… Bracken? He helped with Senator Bracken's campaign?"

" _Yes."_

Anger starts to build up inside Kate. "Do you know if they ever had direct contact? Was Maddox a volunteer or did Bracken hire him?"

Javier speaks up. _"That is actually something we don't know. I was wondering the same thing when I first saw Bracken's name pop up on my screen."_

Kate needs to take a few deep breaths before she says anything more. "This has to be our guy. Especially if he is linked somehow to Senator Bracken. We just need to find proof." Kate rubs a hand over her face. "Ok, was there anything else that you've found on Maddox?"

" _Negative. As soon as we saw that Maddox is connected to Bracken, somehow, we called you."_

"Ok. Thank you. I'm going to go back and spend time with my husband. I need you two to continue working this. Split the tasks up. Ryan, keep digging into Cole Maddox and look into Senator Bracken too. See if there are any other connections between the two. Espo?"

" _Go ahead."_

"I need you to dig for more clues. We need to prove that Maddox is our guy. If Ryan needs any help, go ahead and help him. I'll be down there as soon as I can. I just need to spend time with my family for a while."

" _On it boss. Do what you need to do Beckett. Give Castle our best."_

"I will. Thanks Espo. I'll talk to you guys later."

" _Later Beckett."_ Ryan hangs up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Kate puts her phone away and walks back to Castle's room. When Kate walks back into the room, Martha sees the look on Kate's face. "Everything alright, darling?"

"Yeah. Things are fine, Martha."

Castle, too, sees the expression on Kate's face. "Honey? Are you sure everything is ok?"

Kate gives him a small smile. "Yeah. Things are fine, babe."

"Kate, I know you. What's going on?"

Kate walks over to Castle's side and grabs hold of his hand. "It's nothing you need to worry about. You just focus on you, by getting some rest."

"It has to do with my shooting, doesn't it?"

Kate lets out a breath. She looks at Martha and then back down at Castle. She answers with slight hesitation. "Yes. Yes, it has something to do with your shooting."

"What do you know? Do you know anything?"

"Babe, you shouldn't be worrying about that. Let Ryan and Esposito focus on finding out who did this to you. You just focus on getting better so we can go home."

"Kate, we've been partners for 3 years. Why can't you tell me? Maybe I can help?"

Kate takes a deep breath. "I don't want to stress you out, Castle. You just had surgery to remove a bullet from your chest." Kate squeezes his hand and starts to get tears in her eyes. "Castle, you shouldn't be working your own case. _**I**_ shouldn't even be working your case. We're both way too close to this. Ryan and Esposito probably shouldn't be working this case either. But, they wanted to help."

Castle can tell Kate was getting worked up. He runs a thumb over Kate's hand. "Shh, Kate. It's ok. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought I could help. You know, to use my storytelling to help come up with a theory. Maybe to point the boys in the right direction."

"I know. Your overactive imagination is one of the things I love about you."

Castle closes his eyes and takes a breath. After taking a breath he opens his eyes again to look at Kate. "If it will make you feel better, I'll let it go. But, it won't be forever. You know I'm going to ask again."

Kate lets out a little chuckle. "I don't doubt you will, Castle. Once you're stronger, if the case hasn't been solved yet, I'll fill you in. But, for right now there are a couple of things you can do for me."

"What's that?"

"Give me a kiss."

Castle gives her a kiss on the lips. "Ok, what else can I do for my beautiful wife?"

"Live in the moment. Don't worry about what's happening with your case. Focus on recovering and spending time with your family. Let the boys and the rest of the force do their jobs in solving this case."

Castle gives her a smile. "Yes, dear." Castle reaches a hand up to Kate's face and brings her down for another kiss. Kate gladly gives into the kiss.

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: I am fitting in writing when I can, when I'm not sleeping or working. But, I have also started a new project that I'm trying to get off the ground. When I get an idea, I run with it. I'll continue working on this story, as well as working on my new project. I may have to set a schedule, but I'll have to experiment to see what works best for me. Thank you for staying with me through all of this._


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm am so sorry this took so long. Thank you all for sticking with me. This has been quite a journey, now that I've got my new project going, and still writing FanFiction. Don't worry, I'm not leaving you. I'm still here. With my new project, it feels like there's a lot going on, but in reality there isn't. But, anyway, I just wanted to show my appreciation. With that being said, on to the next chapter. Enjoy.**

Two days have gone by. The boys haven't found anything new on Maddox. They haven't been able to find any other connection between Senator Bracken and Cole Maddox. No new evidence has surfaced either. Castle is still under observation at the hospital. Alexis is out of school for the summer and is hanging out with her friends. She needed something to distract her from everything that has happened. Martha is back at her acting studio, teaching a class for young actors. Kate helps out with the case when she can, but she has been spending most of her time with Castle at the hospital.

It's around noon, when Kate makes her way back to the hospital. A couple of hours before, Castle had fallen asleep and she wanted to give him some time to rest. She ended up going for a walk and found herself at a bookstore down the street from the hospital. Kate spent quite a bit of time at the bookstore. She was just browsing, making the time go by faster, before going back to the hospital. Kate found some books that caught her attention. Books, that were not written by her husband. She thought of Castle and thought he would need something to entertain him while he was recovering, so she started looking at books for Castle to read. Kate ended up purchasing quite a few books. She bought 4 books for herself and 4 books for Castle. Once she paid for the books, she made her way back to the hospital.

Kate walks into Castle's hospital room and takes a seat in a chair that's next to the window. Castle is still asleep when she returns from her little adventure. Kate doesn't want to wake him up, so she takes out one of the books she purchased and starts reading it. Castle wakes up without making a noise, so Kate has no idea he has woken up from his nap. He looks over toward the window where Kate is sitting enjoying the book. Or at least, from his view, it looks like she is enjoying her book. He looks at the cover to see what book she's reading and his eyes nearly pop right out of his head.

"Uh, Kate? Honey? Is there something you want to tell me?"

Kate lowers the book and looks at Castle. "No. Why?"

Castle clears his throat. "It's just because of the book you're reading."

She flips the book over to look at the cover, while using her thumb as a bookmark. "So? What about it?"

"Honey. Shouldn't we be talking about this?" He tries to scoot himself up the bed to prop himself up better, without pulling on his stitches. "Kate, you're reading What to Expect When You're Expecting. That's usually an indicator you've got something cooking."

Kate closes the book, without saving her place, and sets it down on the table next to the chair. She gets up from the chair to stand closer to her husband. She lets out a little chuckle. "We're not expecting, babe. At least, not yet."

The wheels in Castle's head start spinning and excitement starts to build. "Wait, does that mean you think you could be pregnant?"

Kate places a hand on his cheek. "No, Castle. I don't think I'm pregnant. I'm not saying it's not possible, because it is possible. But, I don't think we've conceived a child."

Castle gives her a confused look and his excitement begins to fade. "Then why would you buy that book?"

She sits down on the edge of the bed, near Castle's hip, and takes hold of his hand. "Castle, I love you. I have never loved anybody the way I love you. I just thought it would be nice to prepare myself, in a way, of what I have to look forward to. After what our family has been through, let alone you and I, I don't want to wait any longer than I have to. I'm ready to start a family with you. I'm ready to add to our family." Kate takes a breath. "I know we've been married for a short amount of time, two months to be exact. But, by the time you're well enough, we would have been married for a decent amount of time for us to start trying for a baby."

Castle looks into Kate's eyes and just stares into them, trying to get a read on her. He sees nothing but love and sincerity. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?

"Yeah. I am serious. I want to have a baby with my husband." Kate stops him before he can say anything. "But… you have to be cleared by the doctor before we can even think about doing any physical activity. Including, but not limited to, making a baby. Do I make myself perfectly clear Mr. Castle?"

Castle gives her a smile. "Yes, Mrs. Castle. I hear you loud and clear."

"Good."

Castle squeezes Kate's hand that he's still holding and tugs her toward him. He gives her a soft kiss. "Kate, you do know that there is a book out called What to Expect Before You're Expecting, right?"

"What? There is? I didn't know that." Kate shrugs her shoulders. "Oh, well. I don't think I really need it, but I'll go back and get a copy if I feel like I have to."

Just then a nurse comes in with a tray of food for Castle to have for lunch. "Good afternoon Mr. Castle. Are you ready for some lunch?"

Castle looks at Kate and gives her a disgusted look. He hates hospital food. Then he looks at the nurse. "Do I really have much of a choice?" The nurse just looks at Castle and says nothing. "Alright, then. Bring on the food."

"Very good Mr. Castle. I'm sure your lovely wife here will make sure you eat your food. I'll be back later to collect your tray." The nurse sets the tray down and walks away.

Kate looks at what Castle has on his tray. "Oh, look babe. It looks like you've got some mashed potatoes. They actually look good."

Castle is acting like a child. "But, I don't like hospital food. I don't want to eat it."

"Richard Castle, I would like my husband to come home. For that to happen, I need you to eat your food to build up your strength."

"But, I don't want to. It tastes yucky."

"Richard Alexander Rodgers Castle, stop acting like a child! You are a grown man who happens to have a teenaged daughter. Now, start acting like an adult. I don't need you acting like this whenever we have our own child. Taking care of one child will be enough. As much as I love you, I don't need to be raising you and our child at the same time."

Castle is taken aback. He has never heard Kate talk like that before. He doesn't have any words to say. He just picks up his fork and starts eating his food. He doesn't have to like the food, he just needed to eat it. He's not eating his food just to please his wife, but because, deep down, he knows he wants more than anything to be back at home with his wife too.

 **To Be Continued**

 _Note: I had written a little more for this, but I kept changing my mind. I was afraid I was going to get a little too carried away, so I had deleted the extra stuff. I'll figure out a way to add it to the next chapter, if I decide to keep it. I might change my mind, depending on how the story is progressing._


End file.
